APC, PDP

By Emmanuel Mogbede

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described as irrational and baseless accusation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that it plans to rig the 2023 general elections.

Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, National Secretary, APC Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

“The idle conspiracies and wild allegations being bandied by the PDP on the procurement of E-voting machines and plans to rig the 2023 elections is clear testimony that the PDP has already conceded election defeat long before the 2023 electioneering process, “he said.

The APC secretary added that in its desperate bid to remain in public reckoning, the PDP had recently resorted to many diversionary activities.

This, he said, included the recent misguided court case instituted against the APC national caretaker leadership which had been generally dismissed as an abuse of court process.

He said the PDP was clearly unsettled and afraid of the APC’s widespread popularity.

He said this was the reason for its imaginary, baseless and concocted allegations of a plan to rig the 2023 elections, adding that the APC would not learn PDP’s bad habits on election fraud.

He assured that there would be no need to rig any election because according to him, the electoral choice has already been made by Nigerians who have to continue voting for APC and its candidates.

“Our latest victory being the bye-election for the House of Representatives seat for the Lere Federal Constituency in Kaduna state.

“Going by PDP’s past and current antecedents, it is obvious that Nigerians will continue to reject the party.

“PDP’s rejection is further reinforced by APC’s widely accepted and hugely successful membership registration exercise which has recorded APC membership strength at over 40 million,” he said.

Akpanudoedehe further said that the gale of defections by PDP members and leaders to the APC had left it in a comatose state, rendering it incapable of matching the APC in a free, fair and transparent electoral contest.

According to him, PDP leadership has undoubtedly brought the party to its knees permanently.

He noted that under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government, the credibility of elections had continued to improve.

He further assured that the APC would continue to support constitutionally permitted innovations by INEC to ensure the sanctity of votes and the entire electioneering process.

He stressed that in all elections, valid votes must count and the will of the majority of electorates must prevail, adding that this: “is our progressive mantra in the APC”.