Don’t dream of remaining in power beyond May 2019 – PDP warns Buhari, INEC

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has warned "President Muhammadu
Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, to perish the thoughts
of staying in power a day beyond May 29, 2019."

PDP issued the warning in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Kola
Ologbondiyan.

The opposition party also cautioned the, "Chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu not to
allow the APC and the Buhari Presidency to use him to execute their
plots to frustrate the conduct of credible 2019 elections and push for
illegal tenure elongation for President Buhari."

PDP said it was, "Aware that the mooting of postponement of the
already scheduled general elections by the INEC Chairman, is a product
of series of clandestine meetings between his commission and the APC
on ways to frustrate the 2019 elections, having realized that there is
no hope for President Buhari in the polls."

The statement reads, "Nigerians and the international community have
also noted the various ploys by INEC to frustrate a credible
elections, including its stiff opposition to the amendment of the
Electoral Act by the National Assembly to check APC rigging plans in
addition to its exposed collaborations with INEC to manipulate the
voters register, enrol underage voters and secretly creating 30,000
illegal polling centers in certain remote areas from where it plans to
allocate fictitious votes to the APC.

"Nigerians may recall that the PDP had earlier alerted of the plot by
the Buhari Presidency to enmesh the 2019 elections into a needless
controversy by deliberately delaying the presentation of the election
budget to the National Assembly until the time the parliament was
proceeding on annual recess.

"Ostensibly to ensure that the election does not escape controversy,
President Buhari demanded that the fund be taken from already approved
budget for lawmakers' constituency votes, despite entreaties by
well-meaning Nigerians for a fresh budget for the elections.

"Seeing that Nigerians are standing shoulder to shoulder with the PDP
to resist and dismantle their rigging machinery, the APC and Buhari
Presidency are now trying to use INEC to frustrate the elections and
cause crisis in our country."

The party, therefore, "rejects this plot by APC and INEC. The 2019
election must hold as scheduled. Nigerians are ready for elections and
cannot wait to vote out President Buhari and his dysfunctional APC.

"In that wise, our party cautions the INEC Chairman to open up, expose
the Buhari Presidency and immediately commence the application of its
constitutional First Line Charge funding instruments instead
entangling itself with the plot to destroy our nation," the statement
added.