Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mahmood Yakubu has accused the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) of plot to manipulate Smart Card Readers during the the rescheduled General Elections this Saturday.
Specifically, the former Vice President APC agents have been trained to use hand-held device that would slow down the card readers in PDP strongholds.
Atiku who stated this on Tuesday at the 84th National Executive Committee (NEC) of the PDP in Abuja, also cautioned the military against executing President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to shoot ballot box snatchers, declaring the directive as an unlawful order.
Prior to his return to the PDP in late 2017, Atiku was one of the APC stalwarts that helped APC Presidential candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, win the last presidential election in 2015.
But speaking at the event, Atiku said voters in PDP strongholds in the South South, South East and North East Central geopolitical zones are likely to have their card readers slowed down, as against their counterparts in the North West.
He said: “We have just discovered that the APC have hired many of their operatives and have taken them to China to be trained, and they have been so trained, and they are back, and they are equipped with devices that are meant to slow or fasten our card readers,”
“So, if you are in the South-South, South-East and North-Central, you are likely to get your card readers to be slowed by those APC operatives.
“We have seen the machines; we have interviewed some of those who have gone on this training, and we have passed that information to the campaign council to pass to you.
“But if you are from the North-West or North-East the tendency is that they will use these machines to fast-track the readings of your card readers, so that many of their supporters can vote while disenfranchising the other three zones.
“I thought you should know that we have supplied the information to the campaign council, and you will even see the copy of the machine which each and everyone of those operatives is to hold. It is like a telephone but that is its job. I felt I should let you know, and you should be guided accordingly.”
Atiku added that Buhari has never need new a democrat, adding that he just wore the gab of democracy so that he can come back to power and do whatever he is doing.
“So Gen Buhari is not a democrat, he doesn’t believe in democracy, he is a lip service, he is more of a power monger than a democrat.”
“A precondition for free, fair and credible election is that the people are able to freely vote the candidate of their choice. You owe it to the people to let them give their verdict in the same way that you were elected.
“If you do so and if you win, then the people will commend you for it but otherwise, history will condemn you for it but before history does that, we will condemn you for it.”
The former president who described the President’s directive as to the military against ballot box snatchers as undemocratic.
The military, he stressed, has no role to play in the conduct of elections.
On his part, Senate President and Bukola Saraki, warned the governing APC against ruining the nation’s democracy.
Saraki who doubles as Director General of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council also accused the APC of planning to scuttle the forthcoming election.
While describing the recent APC caucus meeting as “Nollywood movie”, he alleged that the governing party is seeking another shift in elections.
He said “My message to them (APC) is that you won in 2015 because democracy was working in Nigeria. This democracy that worked for you, is to work for generation yet on born. Do not ruin Nigeria democracy because of your ambition, democracy is bigger than you and as such it worked for you and it will also work for others.”
“Nigeria is country that is practicing democracy, Nigeria is country that is govern by rule of law. What Mr President said yesterday suggested that this country is govern by jungle justice.
“We in PDP are not for election rigging, we are against election rigging. We sign strongly that the law should be apply on anybody that carry out election rigging. We must operate as country that with rule of law and democracy.”
Also speaking, PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus urged the military not to obey the president’s order.
He called on INEC to audit all the materials that have been collected and distributed in order to address issues that could lead to another postponement.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
