The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lambasted the Nigerian Army for insinuating that some elements in the opposition plot to disrupt the May 29 inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The PDP noted that, being the party which transitioned the country into democratic rule in 1999, there is no way it would destroy the institution it helped to build.
Recall that the Nigerian Army, through its spokesman, Col Sagir Musa, has said, “The army has noted with great concern the efforts by some unpatriotic individuals, groups and foreign interest determined to make mischief and exacerbate the security situation in this country in particular and the West African sub-region in general.
“These persons and groups are making efforts to further induce the ISWAP and Boko Haram terrorists and bandits with funds and other logistic support. Their body language and unguarded utterances seem to be in tandem with the above and imply a tacit support for the criminals.”
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“Some of these mischievous elements thought that we would not have safe and successful general elections but were proved wrong. Hence they want to derail the scheduled handover later this month and to scuttle the democratic process in the country,” Musa added.
But speaking to newsmen on Friday, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, said party must not be counted among any group behind such a plot.
He said, while the PDP believed that its mandate was stolen at the national level, itw would leave the issue with the Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal to adjudicate.
Secondus stated, “Allegations are being made here and there without any concrete evidence. If there are people making efforts at derailing the democratic institution in the country, we can never be part of it.
“The PDP built the democratic institution that the All Progressives Congress is enjoying today. We are democratic in nature and in name.
“We know that our mandate was stolen by the APC in connivance with the Independent National Electoral Commission. We are law-abiding and that is why we are already in court to retrieve our stolen mandate.
“We know that the Nigerian people are with us and are going to celebrate soon when we get our mandate. So, tell them that we are not part of any group of individuals or institutions that may be working to achieve what the army claimed.”
According to Secondus, the PDP would not support anyone or individual that “does anything outside the constitution to seek redress on any issue.”