The Action Democratic Party (ADP) has said that the sudden postponement of the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections scheduled for this Saturday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has exposed a plot by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the elections.
INEC cited challenges of logistics as excuse for shifting the elections to February 23 as well as the governorship and States houses of assembly elections, which were also shifted by one week to March 9.
The ADP in a statement issued on Saturday by its National Chairman and Presidential candidate, Yusuf Yabagi Sanitise, said the party has long suspected the move by the APC to rig the elections, following intelligence within its disposal that the APC led by President Muhammadu Buhari, had planned to stagger the elections in some opposition dominated states to enable them deploy the security forces to intimidate voters just the way they did in the Osun state governorship election held in September last year.
“This form of desperation presents potent threat to our democracy and all peace loving people of Nigeria must rise in defense of our cherished values of democracy before unrepentant tyrants in high places led by a very corrupt cabal truncates it.
“This latest development and the widespread reactions that greeted it should serve as warning to the ruling authorities to desist from any unscrupulous act as their devious machination has been exposed and will be vehemently resisted,” he warned.
The ADP lamented economic losses incurred by the sudden postponement, which run into billions of naira adding that this has also greatly affected the plans of foreign and domestic observers’ who will now have to reschedule their assignments.
“It also causes so much inconvenience to the ADP and other parties which have deployed enormous resources across the federation for the elections. This does not portray Nigeria in good light before the international community and we must use the coming elections to redeem the image of Nigeria before the world,” he said.
Sani noted that his party and other opposition parties are ever ready for the elections and demanded an open process that is free, fair and credible.
The party expressed confidence that if the free choice of the people is allowed to prevail, the ADP Presidential candidate, Yabagi Yusuf Sani, will win the Presidential election especially now that the Nigerian public has seen through the last sixteen wasteful years of leadership of the People’ s Democratic Party (PDP) and the failed leadership of the current APC government which have brought severe hardship, hunger and backwardness to the potentially great country.
The ADP also urged INEC not to succumb to the dictates of undemocratic forces but strive hard to improve Nigeria’s democratic process. It also urged the foreign election observers not to be discouraged by this setback but support the country build a credible democratic culture.
