Bayelsa, Kogi, Imo Guber: Perish Your Thoughts of Rigging, PDP Tells APC

*Declares riggers will face wrath of the people 

*Says delay in redeploying Imo REC heightening tension in the state 

*Bayelsa Poll: LP has no deal with Diri

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday, cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) to perish any iota of thought to rig the Saturday, November 11, 2023 governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States, saying the party has mobilised the people of the three States to go to every length allowed by the law to protect their votes.

This was just as the leadership of the Labour Party (LP) described as false and unsubstantiated news making the rounds that its Bayelsa State chapter had ditched its governorship candidate in the November 11, election, Engr. Udengs Eradiri, and had declared its support for the State governor, Douye Diri.
The PDP also said the delay by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to redeploying the Imo state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) was already causing tensions in the state.

In a statement, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba stated: “Our party restates that it will never allow anybody, no matter how highly placed to manipulate the electoral process in the governorship election in Imo, Kogi and Bayelsa States.
“In fact, our party states in clear terms that anybody who attempts to rig or manipulate the election in any way may have to deal with the legitimate wrath of the people.”

The PDP specifically cautioned Governors Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and the APC governorship candidate, Usman Ododo, to accept their rejection by the people for their abysmal failure in government and get ready to concede defeat on Saturday.
The PDP also reaffirmed that all indices from several entrance polls indicated that the PDP candidates were leading and would sweep the governorship election in the three States.
According to Ologunagba, “Any electoral trajectory that does not reflect the clear tide of the will of the people at the polling units will be firmly resisted.”
In Imo State, the party’s image-maker said the PDP had received messages and visits from many prominent Imo State citizens, including major industrialists and businessmen wherein they had expressed their support for the PDP Candidate, Senator Samuel Anyanwu.
According to Ologunagba, “These prominent Imo citizens have also denied their reported support and donation of funds to the APC and its governorship candidate, Governor Hope Uzodimma.

“Of course, no well-meaning citizen of Imo State will lend support to Governor Hope Uzodimma whose administration has wrecked the economy of the State, brought untold hardship to the people and turned Imo State into a theater of violence, killings and kidnapping.”
The National Publicity Secretary stressed further, “Our party challenges Governor Uzodimma to make public the names of the Imo State citizens he claimed to have donated money to his campaign so that the people can identify the enablers of insecurity and hardship that his administration represents in the last three years.”

The PDP cautioned that the delay by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to redeploy the Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. Sylvia Agu, was heightening tension and capable of pushing the people to resort to self-help.
According to Ologunagba, “We are in a democracy and INEC must respect the wishes and aspiration of the people and stakeholders in the electoral process.  
“The people of Imo State have spoken clearly in demanding that Prof. Sylvia Agu must not participate in any capacity whatsoever in the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Imo State, given her antecedents in favouring the APC in previous elections.”
He explained that the party was marching to victory with the people of Bayelsa, Kogi and Imo States notwithstanding the antics of the APC.

Bayelsa: Labour Party Denies Deal with State Governor
The leadership of LP described as false and unsubstantiated news making the rounds that it’s Bayelsa State chapter had ditched its governorship candidate in the election, Engr. Udengs Eradiri and declared its support for the state governor, Douye Diri.
In a statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the party stated that its attention was also drawn to a statement issued by some unauthorised party leaders without the consent of the State Chairman and Secretary who supposedly withheld their individual support for the party’s candidate.
He also said that the party leadership also read a statement by the chairman of the Forum of Labour Party Local Government Chairmen as well as the interview granted by its candidate with a national television yesterday, on the matter and declared that there was no truth in it.
According to the LP’s spokesperson, “We sincerely do believe that all these issues are clearly a manifestation of political intrigues and clearly an attempt by the opposition elements to frustrate our chances at achieving victory at the polls

“Our preliminary investigation on the allegation of financial compromise by the state chapter clearly shows that the alarm was false and has remain one of the age-long tools often deployed by political opponents to achieve dubious edge over candidates who are the favourites of the people.”
Ifoh, stated categorically that no party official from the national headquarters had entered into any deal with the Bayelsa State governor to compromise the election.  
He added, “We are in this race to win and we are sure that no amount of dirty politicking can stop the Labour Party and its candidate, a former President of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC from winning the election.

“Comrade Eradiri is young, popular, experienced and with track record of performance at the highest level. His zeal to change the socio economic status of Bayelsa is unimaginable and unprecedented.
“We therefore believe that the unfounded rumour is being orchestrated by our political opponents. We also use this opportunity to call on our candidate, Eradiri to be focused and not to be distracted from the goals before him.
“He must ensure that the entire party structure is put into maximal use to achieve the needed success.”, the spokesperson of the labour party reiterated.