June 12 Democracy Day can’t change our stand on 2019 elections – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to move major events of its planned presidential inauguration from May 29 to June 12 as its Democracy Day.

The party while casting dust on the adoption of June 12 said it would not in any way change its stand on the outcome of the 2019 presidential election, saying the APC was holding a stolen mandate.

In a statement issued by PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said: “The Buhari presidency and the APC, being tormented by the guilt of violating our electoral processes, can no longer boldly approach the oath book on May 29, due to the burden of illegitimacy and now seeks refuge in the sanctity of June 12, our Democracy Day.

“The presidency and the APC from our recent history have demonstrated that they totally averse to democracy. They should therefore steer clear of our Democracy Day, having violated all our democratic ethos in manipulating the presidential elections and upturning the mandate of the people; the same injustice which Chief MKO Abiola, the symbol of June 12, fought and died for.

The party further explained that Chief Abiola stood and died for democracy, saying that any attempt to schedule any event related to the outcome of the allegedly rigged 2019 presidential election on June 12 would be “an open desecration of the sanctity of the Democracy day and a direct assault to the sensibilities of Nigerians”.

The party said it rejects the absurd desperation by the Buhari presidency and the APC to overshadow the import of Democracy Day and stifle the quest by Nigerians to vent their anger against the democratic violations of the APC administration in the last four years.

The PDP counsels the Buhari presidency to note that trying to seize our Democracy Day cannot confer legitimacy to a rigged election, neither can it erase the litany of violations including human rights abuses, assault on democratic institutions, particularly the legislature and the judiciary

It also raised concern over the clampdown on opposition figures, clipping of the media, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary arrests and illegal detention of citizens, and the rigging of the 2019 presidential election, as the misdeeds of the ruling party.

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