Tony John, Port Harcourt
A pro-Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) group and strong campaigner of Governor Nyesom Wike and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar for 2019, the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to conduct free, fair and credible elections next year.
The group has also appealed to the president to emulate his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, who conducted a transparent election devoid of violence that brought him (BUhari) to power in 2015.
The group, however, vowed to protest against any form of electoral fraud.
This was even as the Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, has said that Governor Wike never lost any battle involving him.
Immediate past Publicity Secretary of PDP in the state and Chairman, Ikwerre Local Government Area, Samuel Nwanosike, made the statements, on Monday, at the official commissioning of Wike and Atiku campaign secretariat in the area.
Nwanosike, who is also the Secretary General of GDI, stressed that the president should avoid any act that would cause national crisis during and after the forthcoming polls.
Said he, “This group is the foot soldier of PDP. We are prepared for the 2019 elections to make sure Governor Nyesom Wike is re-elected and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar wins the presidential election.
“We urge President Buhari to conduct a free and fair election like his predecessor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who honourably handed over to him in a very transparent election without any shedding of innocent blood.
“What we expected from him is to give Nigerians a credible election. He enjoyed that opportunity from former President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We don’t want to see the Ekiti saga; the Osun saga in 2019. He should emulate Goodluck Jonathan.
READ ALSO: A’ Ibom govt. threatens to publish details of projects awarded by Akpabio
“The international community should come to the aid of the Nigerian electorate in 2019, because anything that would cause crisis in the country, should be avoided.
“Nigerians will resist any attempt to subvert the will of millions of the electorate. We will stage protest against any rigging.
“Why we want the international community to prevail on the president is because any crisis that erupts in the Nigeria will affect other countries negatively,” Nwanosike warned.
The former PDP spokesman added that the group would embark on a door-to-door campaign to work for the victory of Wike and Atiku in the polls.
Also speaking, the Information and Communications Commissioner, Okah, charged GDI members to have confidence in Governor Wike’s doggedness and exemplary leadership vision for Rivers.
