The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said it will lead the charge against any move to rig the 2027 election.
The party also said President Bola Tinubu and All Progressives Congress (APC) are in panic mode over the 2027 election hence their embarking on early campaigns.
The national publicity secretary of PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, at a media chat in Abuja, said its national convention scheduled for November in Ibadan, Oyo State will reset the party and make it formidable to unseat APC.
He said the micro-zoning of national party offices is ongoing across the regions.
Speaking on the party’s prospects in 2027, he said the votes of Nigerians should be made to count, adding that institutional manipulation of results will be resisted.
Ologunagba also said electronic transmission of results must be adopted, stressing that banks, Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and Point Of Sale machines abound across the country for buying things and withdrawing money.
“We want votes to count and to be counted and to reflect the wishes of the people and the only body that must do that and ensure that Nigerian people and the democracy can continue to thrive here is that INEC must ensure a legal framework, so that going to court to determine whether this is legal or not legal and a legal requirement that there will be an electoral transmission of election result from the polling units so that it will be difficult to manipulate because all of us will see it in real time.”
He added, “So this INEC’s idea of glitches, if there are no glitches on the local POS that a woman selling coca-cola or drinks at polling unit during the election is operating at the same location and you have a POS for sale of water and all of that thing at the same unit working and then the BIVAS that has additional backup battery to ensure that it doesn’t go off, it can only be a manipulation institutionally managed and triggered by INEC. Nigerians know better now.
“We as a party are going to take the charge. Nigerians will not listen to any story about a glitch. There must be none because the infrastructure in the country today can support it. If you can support POS in the remotest part of this country, INEC should be on notice in that election. 2027 must be seamless, it must be free, fair, transparent and there must be no glitches because there will be no glitches and there must be not because we as a party, will lead the charge in this country to ensure that the process is credible and that any attempt to abridge the rights of Nigerians to choose their own leaders of course will be resisted,” he said.
While reacting to INEC’s concern over early campaigns, the PDP spokesman blamed the APC, President Tinubu for the situation.
He said they are jittery about PDP’s recalibration and rebuilding.
“APC is jittery and so that’s why you find that they begin to campaign less than two years to the next election and the outcome of that is they now calibrate to a new level where what they do is to get panicky and begin to do what I call endorsement shopping. The President and APC are looking for endorsement.
“If indeed the President is doing well and the APC is succeeding, you let your work speak for you. You don’t want to say come and endorse me. So it is panic mode,” he said.
