The People’s Democratic Party has declared that it will not give up the states where it won in the last General Elections to the All Progressives Congress.
According to a statement from its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in Abuja on Sunday that it would use all lawful means to resist anti-democratic forces by the governing party, the All Progressives Party Congress, to subvert the will of the people in PDP-controlled states.
It listed the states to include Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Abia and Taraba.
The party said: “No matter the strong-arming, threats and manipulations by the APC government, the PDP is not willing to, and will never surrender the mandate freely given to us by the peoples.
“Neither are the people in the states where we won willing to allow sectional invaders to exert influence on those to be in charge of their affairs.”
It accused the APC-led government of manipulating sensitive agencies of state like the judiciary and the security to take over “the rich states of Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Delta”, adding: “This is totally against the spirit of democracy and peace bestowed by the PDP in conceding defeat at the presidential election.”
The party maintained that “the prejudiced rulings by the Rivers and Akwa Ibom states governorship elections tribunals, with their inherent contradictions, were direct fallout of interference from the APC”.
It added that it was also the direct fallout of interference of some elements within the office of the President of the Court of Appeal while cautioning against any interference in Rivers, Akwa Ibom Abia, Taraba and Delta States governorship election tribunals, which it added the APC was already boasting of controlling.
It said: “The PDP says such would be a clear invitation to chaos in the land.
“In the last five months, after conceding defeat at the presidential elections and other polls where we lost, Nigerians were witnesses to the fact that the PDP has remained calm.
“We remain steadfast to its commitment to providing mature, decent and civil opposition with more interest in the peace, unity and corporate interest of our dear nation.”
The statement added that the ruling party and the government were manipulating PDP victory in some states.
“The APC’s definition of credible election is that the governorship elections in Imo, Ogun, Plateau, Lagos and Yobe are all credible,” it said.
The statement wondered why the APC believed that election in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Taraba and Abia States were rigged and must by all means be annulled.
It said that the PDP was able, willing and ready to call up its members and supporters to use all means within the limits provided by the laws to resist plans to decimate the party.
It said: “The peace we seek is not that of a graveyard, it is such as guaranteed by a well-recognised democratic system. It is a democratic system that treats all as equals before the law, irrespective of partisan and political affiliations.”