APC jittery as PDP insists on soldiers for elections

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is jittery and afraid as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday insisted that soldiers

must be deployed in the forthcoming general elections to guarantee safety of voters, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials and election materials.

The main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has expressed reservations over the use of military personnel, claiming that such deployment was a breach of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act.

Justice R.M. Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Sokoto in a judgment on January 29, 2015, had barred the use of soldiers in the conduct of elections. Also, Justice Abdul-Aboki of the Court of Appeal in a suit arising from the APC petition against Ekiti State election won by Governor Ayodele Fayose, ruled that the use of Armed Forces in the conduct of elections was a breach of both the Constitution and the electoral law.

The Justice Aboki-led five-man panel submitted that the use of Armed Forces in the conduct of elections was in violation of Section 217(2)(c) of the Constitution and Section 1 of the Armed Forces Act.

Addressing newsmen yesterday in Abuja, Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, (PDPPCO), Femi Fani-Kayode, alleged  that the APC was squealing against deployment of military in the forthcoming general elections so as to perfect its rigging machinery and unleash violence on voters.

Fani-Kayode, former Aviation Minister, also dismissed the controversial  audio footage on the Ekiti governorship election.

“The attempt by the APC to discredit the use of soldiers by promoting some misleading audio footage of the so-called rigging during the Ekiti governorship election, in which one Captain Sagir Koli was the dramatis personae, is childish and absurd.

“The Federal Government deployed soldiers in the Anambra, Edo, Ondo, Ekiti and Osun gubernatorial elections and all those polls were devoid of violence.

“Remarkably, the APC won in Edo and Osun; APGA won in Anambra, Labour Party won in Ondo while PDP won only in Ekiti State. The basis on which the APC is agitating for the exclusion of soldiers from the election by sponsoring court cases is patently dubious and untenable.

“The reason that the APC and its leaders do not want soldiers deployed is to be able to intimidate voters and unleash violence on the polity once they lose the elections.

“They know that it would be far more difficult for them to do that when soldiers are on the streets. With these dishonourable tactics and desperate acts by the APC, we are the ones who should be worried and who should be complaining but, unlike Buhari and the APC, our patience is not running out because we are committed to a peaceful election and we completely reject the option of violence.”

Asked by reporters on whether the government would ignore the pronouncement of the justices which frowned on military deployment, Fani-Kayode said government would seek the legal opinion of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN).

Fani-Kayode said: “The President is a law-abiding citizen. I know this government will not work against court judgment. We are a law abiding government, but moreover, I will allow the AGF to speak on the matter.”

He also expressed concern over recent remarks of the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari which he said were inciting.

“In addition to this, the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation wishes to take this opportunity to draw the attention of the Nigerian people and members of the international community to the subtle threat of violence in a statement by General Muhammadu Buhari at the APC stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Tuesday.

According to Fani-Kayode, General Buhari said the patience of the APC and its leaders were on test. “One wonders what he means by that and what he and his supporters intend to do once that patience runs out. In an AFP news report of Friday, February 6, 2015, he was asked if he would accept the outcome of the presidential election no matter how unfavourable. Listen to his answer: “I am not going to lose; so, I won’t answer that question.” Again, only yesterday, Wednesday, February 18, 2015, in an interview on ARISE Television, General Buhari was asked what his reaction would be if he loses the election. His answer was: “We shall see,” he Fani-Kayode said.