The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to pull out of the peace accord over what it described as ‘incendiary actions by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai’s body bag comment which it claimed are directly inimical to a peaceful, free and fair election. El-Rufai, a member of the ruling APC while featuring on Nigerian Television Authority, (NTA), Tuesday Live programme, anchored by Cyril Stober, said: “Those that are calling for anyone to come and intervene in Nigeria, we are waiting for the person that would come and intervene, they would go back in body bags,” .
In a reaction, PDP National Publicity Secretary and Director Media and Publicity of its campaign organization, Kola Ologbondiyan at a press conference Wednesday explained: “Nigerians are still in a shock over comments by the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, who declared on a national television that members of the global democratic institutions that are working for a peaceful election in Nigeria will return to their countries in body bags. What a threat?
Ologbondiyan also charged the international community to “immediately impose a travel ban on el-Rufai for this inciting comment against peaceful elections in our country.
“Also of particular note is the plot to redeploy, a former Chief Security Officer to APC leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, CP Kayode Egbetokun, as Kwara state Commissioner of Police, where he has been handed the instruction to incite the people, cause pandemonium and pave the way for outright rigging in favour of President Buhari and all other candidates on the platform of APC, he alleged.
He added that, “This is in line with plans by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to effect a mass deployment of top security officers, particularly the police, to intimidate, harass and manhandle Nigerians that will not support the self-succession bid of President Muhammadu Buhari as well as aiding APC thugs to snatch ballot boxes and orchestrate violence in the elections.
According to Ologbondiyan, “It is necessary to state that the PDP is a party of peace and we are committed to the peace accord. However, the deployment of the Kayode Egbetokun as Kwara CP directly negates the principle of the Peace Accord and can only hurt the fragile peace that currently exists in Kwara state.
He reminded the acting Inspector General, Adamu Mohammed that, “his acceptability among Nigerians across party line was based on the pedigree, which was presented to Nigerians before his appointment. These pedigree and exposure place on his shoulders, the responsibility to be just, firm, equitable and professional in the discharge of his duties. We therefore urge him not to allow his reputation to be mired in controversial political activities.
The PDP called on the former head of state, Abdulsalami Abubakar chaired National Peace Committee to note the alleged infractions by the APC and its leaders to the peace accord, “including the provocative shut down of all the stadia in Kano state by the state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, in order to frustrate the PDP Presidential campaign rallies in the state.
He also charged the National Peace Committee to immediately summon el-Rufai on his inflammatory remarks against peaceful election in our country.
On the part of PDP, Ologbondiyan warned that, “Any situation that seeks to allow the APC to abuse the tenets of the accord will definitely force our party to review our signatory to the peace process. In that regard, we might have no option left than to allow our members to defend their votes with whatever that is available to them.
