APC says PDP ignorant of electoral rules

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s call on INEC to cancel its just concluded National Convention showed that it is ignorant of electoral rules and internal party operations.

Malam Bolaji Abudullahi, the party’s National Publicity Secretary made the call in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

”We read with dismay, but without surprise PDP’s statement calling on to annul the results of the highly successful National Convention of our party held last Saturday” he said.

The PDP had said that the emergence of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as APC National Chairman by affirmation, violated democratic requirements of direct voting by delegates.

Abudullahi maintained that the APC election guidelines provided that all party positions prescribed by its Constitution could be filled by democratically conducted elections or by consensus.

This he explained, was provided that where a candidate had emerged by consensus for an elective position, a yes or no vote was called for to ensure that it was not an imposition.

“This was clearly adhered to in many positions, including the National Chairmanship position which was unopposed.

“But we understand PDP’s problem, they are terrified by Oshiomole, they know that with him they will no longer have breathing space.

“Hence, the baseless allegations peddling and conspiracy theory which we are now accustomed to as part of PDP’s sorry attempt to play ‘opposition politics,” he said.

Abudullahi decried the PDP’s ill informed attempt to politicise the recent poverty reports by a United States think-tank.

”Of course we do not expect the PDP to be aware that the Nigerian National Bureau of Statistics releases report on poverty rates every year to help the work of policy planners and not to play politics.

”The only difference, however, is that such reports were never allowed to see the light of day under the PDP administration,” the APC spokesman said.

He said that under the PDP, Nigeria was not able to achieve any of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which was turned to another racket.

He added that the challenge of poverty was a global one and not a competition among countries or a race of wits.

He further added that while the APC acknowledges this challenge, it would continue to work hard with both local and international partners to find solutions.

He said that what the party would not do was to exploit the reality of poverty to create another ineffectual “palliative that would end up as another slush fund or job for the boys,” he said.

Abudullahi said the PDP must have been shocked to see their prediction of the collapse of the APC not coming to pass after its National Convention, adding that it was yet to recover from the shock.

According to Abudullahi, the PDP now indulges in ignorant whimper, calling on INEC to help them do what they know how to do best annulling elections.

“It is quite distressing to see that a party that held power for 16 years did not know that INEC has no role in internal elections of a political party.

“We also wonder which position the PDP contested for at our Convention which entitles them to take it upon themselves to challenge the process,” he said.

He said that if the PDP now sees itself as an interested party in APC’s internal elections, it should send its petitions to its Convention Appeals Committee.

“We, however, do not expect them to understand this process of internal democracy.

“It is clear to everyone that having been kicked out of power, the PDP still has no idea what to do three years after.

“However, playing the busybody and so openly advertising their ignorance of basic electoral rules will make it even more difficult for Nigerians to grant them the forgiveness they begged for,” he said.