The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State has revealed alleged plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to use ex-militants dressed in military uniforms to cause mayhem and disrupt the forthcoming March 9 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in the state.
Director General of the Delta State PDP Campaign Organization, Funkekeme Solomon made the allegation at a press briefing, where he said impeccable sources within the APC confirmed with certainty that the master-minds behind the devious plan include the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, former Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and Chief Great Ogboru, APC governorship candidate in the state.
“The Delta State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has received impeccable Information that the All Progressives Congress, APC, in its hell bent, do-or-die efforts to capture Delta State at all costs, and enslave Deltans with a wicked and confused APC government, has set a dangerous plan in motion to mobilize a large number of ex- militants, move them into a concealed location, provide them with military uniforms, arm them with weapons and filter them into specific areas of Delta State during the March 9, 2019 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
“We have been informed that these ex-militants, when fully dressed as military personnel and armed with weapons, will now be deployed and filtered into PDP strongholds, particularly in the Riverine areas where they are familiar with the terrain and in places like Delta North which is easy to navigate, with strict instructions to perform the following dirty actions;
“To psychologically disorganize the PDP members in the identified areas by arresting and/or placing key members of His Excellency, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s Cabinet and top PDP officials of the State, under forced house arrest in order to dissolve their resolve, quarantine them to prevent free movement to go and cast their votes and weaken the stronghold of the People’s Democratic Party in those areas.
“To frighten and intimidate innocent citizens who will come out to vote on March 9, harass and brutalize PDP leaders and supporters who eventually make it to the polling centres in order to stop them from voting en masse and deliberately cause mayhem at polling units and collation centres, with the obvious intention to disrupt the electoral process and eventually cause the cancellation of the elections where they know the APC will be defeated heavily.
“To give law abiding citizens and non indigenes residing, especially in Delta Central, the “Lagos Treatment” by Identifying and violently stopping them from voting and destroying electoral materials where voting has actually taken place, just as they shamelessly did in Okota in Lagos state, during the February 23, 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections
“To ensure that they attack the electoral process to disrupt the activities of INEC officials with the deliberate intention to postpone the State’s election to enable them perfect their rigging arrangements in favour of the APC candidates by deploying more security on the rescheduled date.
“Even as we raise this alarm, we have it on good authority that these ex-militants have already been assembled and have been moved into a covert and concealed location where they will be properly debriefed and provided with their uniforms and arms with which to impersonate and then put on standby until the time when they will be driven or ferried to their designated election areas and unleashed on innocent Deltans who are going to perform their civic responsibility.
“Our impeccable sources within the APC confirm with certainty that the master-minds behind this devious plan include the APC National Chairman, Ex-Comrade Adams Oshiomole, former Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, who was recently trounced convincingly in the Delta South Senatorial election by the PDP and Chief Great Ogboru, serial loser to PDP, as well as top officials of APC in Abuja and other APC stakeholders in Delta State.
“Intelligence reports have it that the execution of the plan is scheduled to commence a few days to March 9, 2019 election. The aim is to suppress the will of the people and prevent them from voting for PDP, thereby providing the opportunity for the APC to manipulate and increase the figures from a visibly low turn out, in favour of their candidates.
“We have raised this alarm to alert Deltans and put the global community on notice that the All Progressives Congress, APC has declared war on ordinary civilians and Deltans because they want to “capture” Delta State and turn the people into slaves.
“They have no remorse whatsoever about the bloody consequences and the actual and collateral damage of their dangerous plan so long as they “win” Delta State in the Governorship election.
“We recall vividly that the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, ex-Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, had boasted and vowed repeatedly and with audacity that his ultimate ambition is to unseat the PDP and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the Governor of Delta State and conquer Delta State as if Deltans are slaves, and he will unleash the full weight and power of the “Federal might” to achieve this objective.
“And to fulfill this crazy obsession and insane desire, the APC Chairman ex-comrade Oshiomhole, has connived with ex-governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who is still very bitter that he could not get an automatic ticket as the PDP Delta South Senatorial candidate and whose “bad belle” for PDP has been increased with his embarrassing defeat at the just concluded Senatorial election as well as Chief Great Ogboru, who is ready to do a deal even with the devil himself, in order to fulfill his vaunting ambition to govern Delta State, and they are hell bent on turning Delta State into a theatre of war and unleash a potential orgy of blood bath in the State, once these ex-militants are let loose on the innocent people of our dear State.
“The PDP, as a responsible, law abiding political party, whose main objective is to give Deltans quality governance and ensure a State where the people will live freely as stakeholders and not slaves, will do everything within its powers to ensure that our members and supporters always remain on the right side of the law. That is why we are drawing the attention of Mr. President, the hierarchy and high command of the Nigerian Army and the Armed Forces to be aware of what is happening in Delta State and to appeal to them to be at the lookout for impostors wearing military and mobile police uniforms, to call their men to order to desist from aiding and abetting politicians in their nefarious acts to break the law, breach the security and disrupt the electoral process.
“We are thus calling on the international community and the European Union, African Union and local observers to prevail on all the authorities involved with the March 9 elections, including the security agencies and INEC, to exhibit professional neutrality and maintain a level playing field during the elections, in order to avert an impending bloodbath on election day. We shudder to imagine the consequences of their actions if hired thugs are allowed to have a field day.
“We must commend our leaders and supporters who have displayed herculean patience and maximum restraint and endurance in the face of these consistently disturbing and annoying provocations. We urge our members to continue to maintain this admirable and unshakeable perseverance and to turn out en masse again on March 9, just as they did on February 23, to deliver an even more emphatic and comprehensive victory for the PDP in the Governorship and House of Assembly elections.
“Let us sound it loud and clear that the PDP will not allow itself to be intimidated or harassed by anybody as we march towards another resounding and definitive victory. It has become even more critical now for the people to say NO to APC and we urge our members and supporters to be extremely vigilant and ensure that every attempt to disrupt the elections are vehemently resisted, every attempt at infraction of the electoral process is thwarted and every act of sabotage and violence is recorded and captured. We MUST Deny these agents of darkness freedom of action in our various units, wards, local governments and State.
“We are fully aware that in addition to the plot to engage ex-militants as part of the grand design, thugs have also been contracted and have arrived Delta from neighbouring Edo State already, and have been instructed and assigned to carry out the hatchet job to disrupt the elections.
“The global community will be watching Delta State and indeed the Niger Delta States keenly and we will expose the APC and their dirty tricks for the whole world to see, if they decide to actualize their plan to “capture” and annex the South South States by force and rigging.
“We thus urge all the people of Delta State not to loose sight of what is important which is to remain committed to the ideologies of the Peoples Democratic Party and His Excellency, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and ensure that no amount of pressure or victimisation will suppress their right to vote the candidate of their choice.
“We wish to state here that the inherent peace in the State, which the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, with the solid support of Deltans, including our revered traditional rulers and our respected spiritual fathers, leaders, elders and great Delta youths, is of great importance and must be maintained and guarded jealously by every Deltan who has the interest and wellbeing of the State at heart.
“Our appeal therefore is to caution against acts aimed at destabilising the peace enjoyed presently in the State in the name of politics and we hereby call on the appropriate international organisations, observers and monitors to take note of the desperate actions of the opposition party, APC to truncate our electoral process.
“No power can be greater than the people’s power. The voice of the people is the voice of God. Power belongs to the people and PDP is the party of the people”.
