PDP made the
vow in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola
Ologbondiyan on Tuesday in Abuja.
Ologbondiyan
said that it had become manifest that the ruling party was interested in
rigging elections, saying the PDP would henceforth contend with such in all
ramifications and magnitude, to discomfit it in all coming elections.
He said that
the PDP had thoroughly reviewed all infractions and vowed to never again allow
the use of foul means to usurp power as it was done in the past and merely ask
the PDP to go to court.
Ologbondiyan
said that the PDP had particularly reviewed the rigging of Edo state
governorship election in 2016, the July 14, Ekiti state governorship election
and the last Saturday’s elections for
senatorial districts in Bauchi, Katsina
and Kogi federal constituency by-elections in Bauchi, Katsina and Kogi states.
He said that
the review revealed that the PDP won in all the elections but was viciously
manipulated out by the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“The PDP,
therefore, resolves that in as much as it remains a law abiding political
party, conducting its affairs strictly within the ambit of our nation’s
electoral laws; the party will henceforth resist rigging.
“We will
henceforth directly and physically confront and resist the election riggers
from always having a field day in seizing our democratic institutions and
circumventing the rules during elections.
“Consequently,
the PDP directs all its state governors, officials at state and zonal chapters,
national and state assembly members and all other elected leaders at all levels
to get ready to move into Osun state.
“They should
go there and provide all support necessary and germane in all the nooks and
crannies of Osun state in the forthcoming election.
“Similarly,
the PDP directs all its presidential aspirants to move all their political
machinery to Osun State within this period, as well as get prepared to
physically participate in the election process.
“Our insistence as a party is for a level
playing ground, a free, fair and credible electoral process, where all votes
will count just as our party provided for General Buhari in 2015, that enabled
him to be elected as president.
“However, we
will not accept our respect for democratic tenets to be taken as a mark of
cowardice or weakness.’’
Ologbondiyan
added that the statement was a wake-up call to all lovers of democracy across
our nation to rise in this spirit to safeguard the nation’s democracy from all
anti-democratic and oppressive forces.
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