All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has alerted security agencies about the likelihood of Labour Party (LP) supporters sparking post-election violence in the event where their presidential candidate, Peter Obi, does not win next Saturday’s presidential poll.
It said the prediction by some pollsters linked to the obedient movement tipping Obi as the winner of the presidential election is a recipe for post-election violence.
Speaking at the final briefing of the campaign council at its headquarters in Abuja, special adviser on media and strategic communications of the council, Dele Alake, said the polls had been whipping up the sentiments of Obi supporters and putting them on the tenterhooks, on a leash so that when they lose the elections, they can resort to violence.
He said, “This is why it has alerted the security agencies to the possibility of ‘Obidients’ taking to violence after losing the election”.
He described the activities of the pollsters as a “cocktail of nebulous opinion polls”, adding that the polls have oscillated between the sublime and the most ridiculous.
“We want to state categorically here, that those polls will only lead to despair, despondency, utter shame and disappointment because the pollsters only took a flight of fancy.
“There is no evidence and reality on ground anywhere in Nigeria as far as the presidential election is concerned that supports Mr. Obi winning this election. Labour Party has no pathway to victory”, he stated.
He however said Saturday’s presidential election would be a race between the APC candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, noting the former Lagos governor will win Atiku hands down.
He cited the grand rally in Lagos on Tuesday as a sign of Tinubu’s victory, saying it was a fitting conclusion to an exhilarating and unique presidential campaign that started on 10 January 2022 when Tinubu announced his candidacy to the State House Press Corps after discussing his interest in the race with President Muhammadu Buhari.
“This presidential election is going to be a straight contest between the candidates of APC and PDP and from more studious and rational polling, our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is coasting home to victory despite the current challenges in the implementation of the currency swap and fuel scarcity that have caused some difficulties for almost all Nigerians regardless of social and economic status,” Alake said.
On the pre-election polls, Alake described as amusing the ANAP/NOI and Nextier polls that projected Obi as the winner or preferred candidate to win the presidential election.
He said, “We have had cause to alert the security agencies to keep these pollsters under watch because their intention is to prepare grounds for unrest by giving false hopes of winning to Mr Obi’s motley crowd of supporters who have a predilection for violence with the way they bully, harass, intimidate and insult anyone who thinks differently from them.”
The APC campaign council declared that it was ready for the elections, noting that it has campaigned so hard and is confident of victory.
Alake stated: “The Independent National Electoral Commission and our armed forces, especially the police, have all declared their preparedness and readiness to ensure we have a free, fair and credible election.
“APC as a party and our campaign council are ready for the election too. We have worked so hard since INEC declared the campaign open for Presidential and National Assembly positions on September 28, 2022.
“We are certain of victory because Nigerians will elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the next President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, for, he clearly stands apart from the pack and has worked so much to earn the trophy.”
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