Uche Secondus, the National Chairman of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has lauded the resilience of members of the party across the country particularly the elected ones for their extra ordinary show of capacity to resist and withstand brutality, blatant intimidation, harassment and political terrorism.
Secondus spoke as his state, Rivers was eventually won by the PDP with Governor Nyesom Wike being declared winner by the Independent National electoral commission (INEC) on Wednesday.
In a congratulatory message to all the persons elected on the platform of the PDP in the general election rounded off on Wednesday April 3, with the conclusion of collation of results in Rivers state, Secondus said that the party is proud of all its flag bearers and their conduct during and after the election.
“By your peaceful conducts in the face of provocations, you have demonstrated truly that democracy is in your DNA and this we will continue to exhibit until all non democrats pretending to be one are flushed out of our polity.”
A statement from his media office released in Abuja on Wednesday, credited the National Chairman of the PDP as saying that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) should hide its head in shame that after four years in the office it had to use the combined team of gullible INEC staff and military operatives to hang on to power after stealing the people’s mandate.
Secondus told the victorious party flag bearers that if they had contested with the APC it would have been an easy walkover but they found themselves battling with INEC and military operatives.
He said that nowhere was this assertion that PDP contested with INEC and the military and not APC more germane than in Rivers state where APC had no candidate yet it took extra 10 days to get the result out from the state because overzealous operatives were fighting for a non existence party in the state.
He said that even those in APC claiming to have been victorious against PDP candidates know from their heart of heart that they did not win the election and that they are beneficiary of a fraudulent process that would collapse before the law.
The National Chairman remarked that the introduction of inconclusive and suspension of polling in the country’s electoral process was ostensibly to aide APC to victory through supplementary balloting but they still could not do it in Rivers, Buachi, Adamawa, Sokoto and Benue because of the doggedness of committed democrats in the PDP.
Secondus noted that the brigandage that were deployed in the supplementary election in Kano by the APC administration in the state evidently assisted by security agencies became the height of impunity exhibited by this regime in the concluded election.
The PDP leader said that nothing underscores the desperation of APC administration to hang on to power at all cost irrespective of the consequences of such actions, like the brazen show of might displayed in Kano supplementary election.
“All of you elected on the platform of this great party should hold your heads high because you went into a contest with APC and ended up in a fight with the nation’s Army and some of their commanders, yet was able to record huge success.”
Secondus particularly listed the PDP state governors for special praise, pointing out that their overwhelming performances in the last four years in their various states, which attracted envy from under performed APC governors more than any other variables facilitated the progress recorded by the party.
“From 11 states when we started this journey December 2017 to 13 before the election and now 15 with a very high hope for victory coming our way in five other states of Osun, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kano and Nasarawa.”
Secondus said that the strategic spread of the PDP victories speak volume on the character and strength of our party as the only true national platform in the country.
The National Chairman has a word of consolation for those in the party that couldn’t make it that there are lots of hopes in the horizon as justice is expected to be delivered to the party at the Presidential, gubernatorial and legislative election tribunals.
Secondus said that Nigerians and indeed all lovers of democracy expect to get from INEC and security agencies particularly the Nigerian Army and their commanders an unreserved apologies for their “shameful, unprofessional and ignoble roles in the just concluded election.”