Romanus Ugwu, Abuja and Rose Ejembi, Makurdi

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has knocked the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors for calling on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission  (INEC) and security agencies to “play an impartial role” in forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States.

In the statement by the APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, the ruling party said the opposition party lacked the rectitude to make such demand.

“For a party whose stock-in-trade remains cloning of permanent voters cards (PVCs), stealing card readers, voter intimidation, thuggery and vote buying as witnessed during the 2019 General Elections, the PDP’s call is dubious and a smokescreen for their real and sinister intentions.

“The real issue is how the Edo State treasury has been criminally converted to a political slush fund as exposed by the widely reported faceoff between Governor  Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shuaibu over release of funds for the PDP governorship campaign,” the party noted in the statement.

“Again, as chairman of the Edo State PDP governorship Campaign Council, the violence being threatened by the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike ahead of the September 19 Edo governorship election are the real issues. Wike has promised to “make sure that everything needed is done” to foist the PDP governorship candidate on the good people of Edo State.

“There are already credible reports of Wike’s plan to import thugs from neighbouring states to achieve their rigging plot. We reiterate that he will not succeed. We stand with the good people of Edo state in calling on our security services not to allow the PDP and Wike turn Edo state into a killing field.

Our security services must do everything to stop the PDP’s plan to unleash violence, intimidate voters and buy votes during the election. Come September 19, votes will count and the will of the Edo electorate will prevail.”

The ruling party described the return of Senator Barnabas Gemade as another signpost of the well-received and successful reconciliation efforts led by Governor Mai Mala Buni as Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee.

However, the Benue State chapter of the PDP has described him as a political nomad whose antecedent of insatiable appetite for political power makes him more of a disruptive influence wherever he goes.

In a statement signed by its state Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, the PDP described Gemade’s defection as a charade adding that his  political value is fast diminishing.

The PDP reminded Sen. Gemade that his party, SDP, has not won a single councilorship seat in all elections since he joined the party in 2019 as it lost in all the polls he actively participated in last year.

“He ought to also remember that PDP won the governorship election, three senatorial seats, seven House of Representatives seats of 11 and 23 Benue State House of Assembly seats out of 30. The party also has 23 elected council chairmen out of 23 and 276 elected councilors.

Iyortyom asked why PDP would be jittery when the former chairman of the party was not a member of PDP when it emerged victorious in all of those elections.