The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lashed President Muhammadu Buhari for congratulating the All Progressives Congress candidate (APC) in the Osun State governorship election, Adegboyega Oyetola.
In a statement in Abuja on Friday, the PDP said the President by the action has shown that the Presidency was behind the alleged electoral manipulations, outright rigging and bloodletting that the PDP said marred the process.
The opposition party slammed Mr. Buhari for ignoring the observations of both local and international observers who monitored the rerun.
The statement said, “Nothing can be more reprehensive, while the entire world is condemning the process and the blood of the innocent that were maimed by the APC thugs is yet to dry on the streets of Osun State, the Presidency and the APC are busy celebrating a stolen mandate.”
Civil rights groups and chieftains of the PDP, including the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki and ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, have also condemned the handling of the Osun State Governorship Rerun by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Buhari-led administration.
Mr. Saraki described what happened in Osun on Thursday in a statement on Friday his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, as an embarrassment to Nigeria’s democracy, despite the fact that a rerun was not needed in the first place.
“Yesterday (Friday), we witnessed another display of the subversion of the will of the Osun people during the rerun gubernatorial election in the state. The election was characterised by widespread voter intimidation, violence and harassment. Accredited observers were denied access to polling units and duly registered voters were prevented from participating in the electoral process by thugs and compromised security agents.
“Like I said a few days ago, this needless rerun election was only designed as an avenue for the ruling party to perpetrate electoral fraud. The nature of this election is an embarrassment to our democracy and casts an alarming pall on the institutions responsible for protecting the will of the Nigerian people as stated through their votes. That was why for more than 10 hours, INEC could not collate and announce results in just seven polling units with just over 2,000 votes,” the statement said.
Also Mr. Atiku, a PDP presidential aspirant, in a statement on Friday, said the declaration of the candidate of the APC in the election, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola, as the winner as triumph of tyranny.
According to him, the outcome was not in tandem with what happened in the state on Saturday, September 22, and Thursday when the rerun in seven polling units was held.
He said that the PDP candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke won the election.
Atiku said, “The result just declared today (Friday) in Osun by the INEC in favour of the APC and its candidate is a travesty of justice. That was not democracy. That was a demonstration of tyranny.
“The victory of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Ademola Adeleke, was firmly established last week on Saturday the 22nd of September, 2018.
“This so-called victory of the APC is not a democratic victory. Observers, both foreign and domestic, reported the brazen intimidation of voters and outright suppression of voting in the PDP strongholds with even the PDP agents physically prevented from being at the polling units.”
Meanwhile, the APC has maintained that its candidate, Oyetola won the election, describing his victory as an “emphatic and hard-fought win.”
This was contained in a statement signed by the acting National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena, in Abuja, on Fridaay, claiming its candidate won the election despite attempts by the PDP to subvert the will of the people through various attempts to rig the poll.
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