The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed concern over President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to security agencies to be ruthless to anyone who try to snatch ballot boxes in the forthcoming elections.

The party expressed the concern in statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan on Monday in Abuja.

Ologbondiyan discribed the directive as a “direct call for jungle justice, attempt to divert public attention from the APC’s plot perfected elections rigging and political violence.”

Buhari speaking during the emergency national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday in Abuja has warned that anybody who snatches ballot boxes during the forthcoming elections, would do that at the risk of his or her life.

Ologbondiyan, who alleged that the directive was a threat to the lives of Nigerians, expressed hope that it was not a camouflage for mobilised fake soldiers to shoot at innocent Nigerians, snatch ballot boxes and execute the APC’s rigging plans.

“It is indeed a license to kill, which should not come from any leader of any civilized nation,” he said.

He said that the resort to threats would not deter Nigerians from coming out en-masse to vote APC out of office on Feb. 23.

“Intelligence available to us shows that the Presidency has directed the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately reshuffle the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in order to deploy compromised officials to manipulate the electoral process in President Buhari’s favour, as they did with the Police shortly before Feb. 16.

“Our party is also aware of the pressure being mounted by the presidency on INEC to cancel elections in some states and make others inconclusive so as to achieve the objectives of a staggered election not minding the crisis such will trigger across the federation,” he said.

Ologbondiyan, however, said that Nigeria was bigger than anyone and that Nigerians would never allow the APC to rig the election.

What Buhari said

President Buhari had said that he did not expect anybody to make any disturbance.

“I have briefed the law enforcement agencies and the military to identify hot-spots and flash-points. They should be prepared to move. They too would have made their own arrangements as possible.

“And anybody who decides to snatch ballot boxes or lead thugs to disturb it, maybe that would be the last unlawful action he would take. I have directed the police and the military to be ruthless.

“We are not going to be blamed that we want to rig elections. I want Nigerians to be respected, let them vote whoever they want across the parties. I’m not afraid.

“As you said, I have gone round all the 36 states and Abuja. I think I have gotten enough support across the country.

“I’m going to warn anybody who thinks, he has enough influence in his locality to lead a body of thugs to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system, he would do it at the expense of his own life,” Ologbondiyan quoted Buhari as saying.

Buhari didn’t order security agencies to shoot Nigerians – Tinubu

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has said President Muhammadu Buhari never ordered security agencies to shoot Nigerians summarily.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja at the end of the APC caucus meeting, he said, that the President was misinterpreted.

According to him, the President at the meeting only reinforced that those involved in ballot box snatching will be doing it at the risk of their life.

“I was in that meeting; the president was just reinforcing the fact that if you are out there snatching ballot boxes, and causing destructions, you are at risk of your own life. Whatever happens to you; no president will give an order that his own citizens should be shot summarily, No! No, its okay, emotions are running high these days. Any individual including myself can be misinterpreted.

“These are not his words; he is a law abiding person and he understands categorically and clearly what rule of law is and the lives of individual citizens that he is in that office to protect. Now, let me run this; he has been fighting Book Haram, kidnappers and all these before this election, did you hear him asking them to be shot and executed summarily?

“By law we should continue to energise our people; it depends on our resources. Because the Electoral Act allows us to do that; and ask led us to stop campaigning only 24 hours before the actual election. And once you changed the date to Feb. 23, you have given us the opening to campaign and energise.

“If you a garden and you don’t nourish with water, the grass will remain dormant; we don’t want our party to remain dormant. This is ability of leadership to convert adversity to opportunity and prosperity and that’s it; that’s what we must do,” he said.

Asked if the postponement has cast doubt on the credibility of INEC, he said “It depends on how it is handled and the process. How the process is managed; you can convert a crisis–a situation of adversity to an opportunity and progress.

“The INEC, under the law, they are empowered to postpone, cancel and do whatever is necessary to ensure free and fair election. No party other the anger, the disappointment, no party can reverse that. So, we are ready for Feb. 23.”