Following the recent discovery of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of politicians buying Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the development should not be taken lightly.
The PDP also reacting to the alert, on Monday, described the development as worrisome and a threat to democracy if found to be true.
Debo Ologunagba, the national publicity secretary of the party, in a chat with Vanguard, urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the security services to up their game by ensuring that the claim was thoroughly investigated and those found culpable in the ugly trade are apprehended and brought to justice.
Ologunagba said: “The alarm raised by INEC should not be taken lightly because in the last couple of weeks, Nigerians have seen an upsurge in the desperate tactics by the ruling All Progressives Congress, to grab and retain power by all means including the purchase of PVCs from gullible people.
“The party has weaponized poverty which it intends to use to cow Nigerians into doing its bidding.
“You will recall the trending video in which the Presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was seen and heard urging his campaign team members to grab, snatch, run away with political power by all means. The authenticity of the video has not been denied.
“The APC and its candidate have also voiced their opposition to the use of BVAS which is an innovation by INEC to improve the quality of our electoral process.
READ ALSO:Politicians Are Buying PVCs, Persuading Voters With Money – INEC
“With all of these tale signs of desperation from the outgoing ruling party, need Nigerians to look any further than the APC?
“As we speak, the APC candidate is yet to tell Nigerians what he intends to do if in the unlikely event he wins.
“The only opportunity which he was given outside the shores of this country, in Chatham House London to be precise, he bungled it by revealing to Nigerians that he intends to unleash a government by proxy.
“While we await a thorough investigation to unravel the extent to which APCs desperation has led it into seeking to criminally manipulate our electoral process to subvert the will of Nigerians, we implore our security agencies and President Buhari, to remain faithful to their promise to bequeath a credible, free and fair election come 2023.”
