•State is must win for APC, says Oyegun
Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Ahead of the July 14 Ekiti State governorship election, National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has alleged that there are plans to rig the poll.
Secondus accused the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) of colluding with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the governorship election.
The PDP chairman stated this when the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Bernhard Schlagheck, visited him at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, yesterday.
Secondus said the least Nigerians expect from the APC-led federal government is free and fair elections in 2019, beginning from the Ekiti governorship election.
However, the PDP chairman said the opposition party is afraid that the elections will not be credible.
“July 14 Ekiti State governorship election will be the first test for this administration. We know that the APC and INEC have perfected plans to rig the election.”
Consequently, Secondus called on the international community to prevail on the federal government to ensure free and fair elections in the country, and noted that lack of credible elections have been a major source of conflict in Africa.
“When citizens are deprived of their right to vote, that will generate crisis that might be difficult to control. Nigeria is an important country in the continent. The best we can give to our people is election that will be transparent, credible, election that all, both local and international, will welcome.
“So, we urge the governing APC that the best they can give this country is to offer one man, one vote. We did that during the electoral campaign in 2015, but they are not assuring this, which means that there is a great fear in the land that the election is not going to be free and fair despite all the promises made by INEC,” he stated.
Last month, APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, declared that the Ekiti governorship election is a must win for the party.
Oyegun said this in Ado Ekiti, during kick-off of fresh membership registration drive of the APC in the state.
He assured that the party will deploy every available resource to win the election which he described as a litmus test ahead of 2019 general election and promised the 33 APC governorship aspirants that the party would conduct a free, fair and credible primary in the state.
“We will work hard to ensure that Ekiti returns to the progressive fold; after the July 14 election. Although, we are in power at the centre, that doesn’t mean we should not work hard. President Muhammadu Buhari, as you know, will not rig or compromise or subvert the will of the electorate, so, we must work hard to deserve the victory that will come to us,” said Oyegun.