The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party met on Wednesday in Abuja where it reviewed the outcome of the April 11 governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections.
Members of the National Working Committee of the PDP, who met at the party’s national secretariat, agreed to summon all candidates of the party to an emergency meeting in Abuja on Tuesday and Wednesday next week to enable the party decide whether to challenge the outcome of the elections at tribunals.
The NWC also resolved that it would resist any further attempt to subvert the members, will in the governorship election reruns in Abia, Imo and Taraba states.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, who briefed journalists after the meeting, said that the party would meet all candidates of the party that contested the governorship and senatorial elections on Tuesday and the House of Representatives candidates on Wednesday.
The outcome of the two meetings, he said, would determine whether or not the party will challenge the outcome of the elections at the various tribunals.
Metuh charged members of the party not to despair and urged them to come out en masse to vote in the three governorship re-run elections scheduled for next week.
He raised the alarm over an alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress to destabilise the PDP, using disgruntled members of the ruling party.
Metuh, however, vowed that the party would resist such ‘devilish plot’.
Metuh declared that “the NWC has noted some divisive comments and statements by certain elements within the party who are being enticed by extraneous factors and other parties to cause disharmony in our ranks.
“While cautioning against such comments, we urge our members with genuine grievances to direct them through the appropriate channels within our party in line with the provisions of the PDP constitution.
“We are aware that some elements within our party have been co-opted by the APC to destabilise our party after the outcome of the results of the 2015 general elections. While others have defected to the APC, some have been asked to stay behind to be used to execute the plot but the NWC will not allow this to happen.”
He said that the party would resist any further plan by the APC to subvert the will of PDP members in the rerun elections in Abia, Imo and Taraba states.
He called on the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agencies to make sure that the remaining elections were free, fair and credible.
Metuh said, “We, therefore, in the strongest possible terms call on INEC and security forces to ensure that the elections in the affected areas are free, fair and credible and that every effort must be made to resist the intimidations and blackmails of the clearly obsessed APC with the aim of manipulating the process in their favour.
“On this note, we charge our members, particularly those in states where elections have been rescheduled or declared inconclusive not to despair but remain focused as the NWC will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them until our deserved victory is achieved.
“Already, we have received reports from Nasarawa State where results from a ward collation centre in Karu Local Government where our senatorial candidate was leading with about 8,000 votes was cancelled outright by INEC on the grounds that the collation officer was unable to reconcile the figures from the ward.
“Instead of ordering the collation officer to properly reconcile and represent the figures, INEC reversed the 6,000 votes lead by our candidate by hurriedly declaring the APC candidate winner with about 2,000 votes.”
Meanwhile, the APC has asked members of the PDP to remain in their party and stop defecting.
National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who spoke with our correspondent on the PDP allegation, said that it was the PDP members who were begging to be accommodated in the APC.
Mohammed said, “The PDP members should learn to remain in their party.
“They are afraid of being in opposition. Our President Elect, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari and our Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, also said the PDP members should remain in their party.
“We don’t want them. They should stay in their party.” Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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