The leading opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is working hard to discredit and destabilise the efforts to announce the results of the presidential election held on Saturday.
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, raised the alarm on Monday in a statement by the Director, Strategic Communications, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mr. Festus Keyamo.
APC said the evidence abound in the call by the PDP and its sympathisers for a premature declaration of its candidate as winner of the presidential election.
The party also said the PDP had been filling the social media space with fake results in violation of the rules in order to destabilise the process.
The party said from reports received in its Situation Room of the Election Planning and Monitoring Directorate from across our country, it was safe conclude that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had done a good job despite the challenges and the delays experienced in some cases.
It said with over 84 million Permanent Voters Cards (71 m collected), mobilising the citizenry to exercise their democratic right to vote had been a massive undertaking which was however conducted largely peacefully and on schedule.
The party also thanked the local and international observers for acknowledging that the elections were peaceful.
“We wish to acknowledge and thank all the regional, continental and global observer groups that have acknowledged the peaceful, transparent process in their various preliminary reports issued earlier today,” APC said.
It however urged Nigeria’s international friends, observers and patriotic Nigerians not to be deceived by the alleged antics of the PDP to destabilise the process.
“Very early in the build up to the Elections, the Peoples Democratic Party and its Presidential candidate embarked on a cynical plan to discredit INEC as a backup plan in the likely event of them losing the election. You would recall, in this respect, unsubstantiated and wild claims made by Candidate Atiku and his cohorts that were all designed to put a question mark around INEC and damage the faith of the electorate in the democratic process.
“This is an assault on our democracy; it is an affront to millions of Nigerians who trooped out to exercise their civic duty by voting in the elections. The PDP is, in essence and most unfortunately, saying that if they don’t win fairly then they are willing to tear down the walls to get their way by hook or by crook.
“In spite of this unjustifiable and provocative stance, we are confident that the results by INEC are free and fair. Our elections have progressed over the years and we ask that the PDP do not derail us to the dark past with its childish antics. The announcements by INEC which has gotten underway will be concluded in due course. Let us all be patient and let this credible process take its course,” APC said.
