The presidential campaign council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised the alarm over the inciting statements and threats by the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, as captured in a viral video.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, expressed the party’s displeasure with the threats contained in the speech of Tinubu while addressing his supporters in London, the United Kingdom.
Ologunagba said, “When someone begins to take politics as war I think is condemnable. You will recall only two days ago, there is a viral video from the presidential candidate of the APC who said ‘Political power is not going to be served in a restaurant, you did not serve it alar cate, it is wicked, weird, it is being determined, you do it at all cost, you fight for it, snatch it, grab it and run with it.’
“That is not what Nigerians want, what Nigerians want is for you to bring the ideas, debate the ideas, let the people decide, don’t run for it and what he has done now is to begin to instigate violence and say to his people, go ahead grab it by all means and this is consistent with this pattern over the years.
“You will recall in 2019 in Lagos, it started with a threat ‘if you dont vote for the APC we will throw you into the lagoon’ that is fresh in our memory.”
The PDP also condemned the refusal of states controlled by the ruling All Progressives Congress, to release public facilities for political campaigns.
The PDP Director of Strategic Communication, Dele Momodu, said this at a media briefing, in Abuja, on Friday.
He expressed regret that this was happening in a democracy which was supposed to be a market place of ideas and alternative opinions.
Momodu said, “In practically all APC controlled states, it’s been virtually impossible for us to install our billboards, to paste our posters, use APC government controlled radio stations, especially in Lagos where the candidate of the APC is seen as next to God.
“So, I wish to appeal through you to the federal government since they control the APC, that this is not what democracy is all about.
“I was one of those who fought and suffered for this democracy. We never envisaged that in the civilian regime, we are going to have this kind of harassment, whereby we cannot practise democracy as it should be done.
“In 2014 and 2015, I was one of those who supported Buhari, and there was never a time that PDP disturbed us because if they had disturbed us, maybe there would have been no Buhari.
“We are hoping that Mr. President would help us speak to the security agencies, to protect the lives of our people, to protect our properties wherever they are on the soil of Nigeria, because we are all Nigerians.”
