POLITICS: PDP Accuses APC Of Paying Smaller Parties To Stop Atiku.

The People’s Democratic Party has resolved to petition the United Nations and other global democratic institutions over the role of the military in the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections.

This was revealed by its National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, while addressing journalists after the expanded caucus meeting of the party.

According to the party the number of deaths recorded during the election must not go unanswered for.

“Caucus commended Nigerians for refusing their intimidation, their harassment, the militarisation of the electoral process and participating in the election, but noted that the mandate of the people that was freely given to our candidate was stolen. And as such, the party and the candidate jointly resolve to go to the tribunal and reach the end of what is permissible within our legal system to get back our mandate, and we do this on behalf of Nigerians.

“Caucus further noted the role of the military in February 23 election and resolved that we will report the actions of the military through a petition to the United Nations, as well as other global democratic institutions on the role of our military in the February 23 election.”

Ologbondiyan continuing said: “We are aware, in fact, the information came on Saturday that the Buhari presidency and the APC have paid some of the smaller parties to come out and urge Atiku not to go to the tribunal, and today (yesterday) stating that he should not go to the tribunal. If it is true that President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC won this election, what is scaring them? What are they afraid of coming to the tribunal? They should come to the tribunal and present to the justices how they won the election.

For us in the PDP and for our candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, our lawyers have been properly briefed and as we speak they are set to file our case at the tribunal and we will surely do that. Nobody can intimidate our party, nobody will intimidate our candidate not to follow what the law provides for, and we will do everything within the law to make sure that this stolen mandate is retrieved.”

Ologbondiyan stressed that the caucus reviewed the situation in Kano State, particularly as it concerned the court decision and noted that an appeal has been filed against the judgment, noting that the party would continue to study and follow the situation as it unfolds.

The caucus also lamented the harassment, intimidation and cajoling of its members by the Buhari presidency as well as the All Progressives Congress (APC) to intimidate Atiku, on his resolve and the resolve of the PDP to go to the court.

“We insist that our party and our candidate have resolved to seek legal redress in the stolen mandate.”

On the absence of some party members at the meeting, the party spokesperson said, “They were not absent; to say they were absent is to say there were no apologies. First and foremost, I want to emphatically say that many of our governors are in the election coming up on Saturday and they have slated rallies ahead of the election and as such they sent their representatives to participate in this meeting because they are out on campaign, even the president of the Senate is campaigning in Kwara, we have no issue about participation.

“Caucus essentially is different from National Executive Council (NEC) meeting, even on a normal caucus day we don’t have more than 15 to 20 people participating, so what we had today was an expanded caucus not an expanded NEC. The fact that we have an election on Saturday there are some candidates that cannot stop their campaign, for instance, our candidate in Oyo State, Mr. Seyi Makinde was here, so I don’t think there is any issue about the participation.”

It was gathered that the PDP may file a lawsuit today, challenging the victory of Buhari in the recent presidential election.