Peaceful 2019 Polls: PDP, Atiku failed in attempt to evade peace accord – APC

Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has spoken on Tuesday development with the absence of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, saying it was “obvious” that he tried to evade the national peace accord signing.

The APC made this disclosure in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu in Abuja Wednesday evening, copy of which was sent to The DEFENDER.

According to the Party’s spokesman, Atiku’s eventual decision to sign the peace deal is clearly a face-saver having undergone widespread condemnations that greeted his initial refusal.

The APC spoke just as a respondent to The DEFENDER’s enquiry over the matter was reported to have described the ex-vice president’s absence at the scheduled day of Tuesday as part of the game planned with the Dubai strategy meeting but which he said had failed, adding that Atiku refused to be part of the peace accord signing because it was not part of the Dubai resolution.

The APC, in its own statement, noted that the Atiku’s initial refusal to sign peace accord brought to fore “PDP’s open declaration IN August this year that the Party will deploy all ‘means, schemes, schenanigans in all ramification and magnitude’ to manipulate the 2019 election”.

“It is obvious that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alh. Atiku Abubakar tried to avoid signing the national peace accord ahead of the country’s 2019 General Elections.

“To all discerning Nigerians, the PDP and Atiku’s dubious claim of a “communication lapse” as reason for their no-show at Tuesday’s formal signing ceremony is hogwash, as the peace committee duly and formally invited the PDP and Atiku like other candidates and political parties contesting the 2019 Elections.

“Atiku’s eventual decision to sign the peace deal is clearly a face-saving move following widespread condemnation that greeted his initial refusal to agree to the peace deal. We, however, must not lose sight of the dangerous and ominous signs the PDP and Atiku have inadvertently shown Nigerians in the leadup to the elections.

“Again, this brings to the fore, PDP’s open declaration in August this year that the Party will deploy all “means, schemes, shenanigans in all ramification and magnitude” to manipulate the 2019 election.

“The APC reiterates that security and other relevant agencies must be on high alert to check this dangerous threat posed by the PDP’s planned actions for the general elections. In 2019 and beyond, the votes of the electorate must count and the will of the electorate must prevail. We must stand against and resist plans by retrogressive elements who are now nested in the PDP and their agents to disrupt elections through violence and other undemocratic practices.

“For signing the 2019 election national peace accord, the Party affirms the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari led APC government to a free and fair electoral process. The APC government has an abiding pledge towards a participatory, peaceful, credible and transparent elections,” the APC said.