Nigeria’s opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday called on the international community to place a visa ban and international sanctions on President Muhammadu Buhari over his comments that the opposition lost the last presidential election because they were getting “support and false hope” from their unnamed “foreign backers” and therefore were over-confident of winning.
PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said during a Press Conference at the party’s headquarters in Abuja that the comment credited to Buhari is already causing apprehension and capable of destroying corporate existence of Nigeria as a nation.
The party also said the comment is an attempt to influence the judiciary since the opposition party is already challenging the outcome of the polls which they said “has been adjudged across the Nation and Globally as the worst in the history of our country.”
The PDP said the election was marred by “brazen violation of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act, 2022, INEC Regulations and Guidelines; manipulation of processes, alteration of genuine results from Polling Units, announcement of fabricated figures and climaxed by the vexatious declaration of the defeated candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Winner.”
Buhari said at his residence at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday where he received the Progressive Governors Forum led by their Chairman, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State that “they (opposition) were already telling their foreign backers that they would defeat the APC.
“Our party (APC) blended confidence with caution. We worked hard and won. Now, their over confidence is creating more problems for the opposition than anyone else. They are finding it hard to convince those who supported them from outside why they are unable to beat us.
“A combination of over confidence, complacency and bad tactical moves made them lose, plain and clear. This has created more problems in their camp. Why did they fail to remove us?”
Speaking in response to an issue raised by Governor Bagudu, the leader of the Forum, President Buhari said “an important reason I congratulate Asiwaju on winning is because the opposition got support and false hope from outside and went on to create the impression that they will win, that they will defeat us. How more wrong could anyone be?” he asked.
The PDP insisted that it did not lose the Presidential election as claimed by President Buhari and “we are not willing to surrender the mandate freely given to our Party by the people irrespective of the threats, bullying and manipulation by the APC-led administration.
“Having clearly undermined democracy in Nigeria, the PDP calls on the International Community to accordingly impose sanctions including Visa ban and travel restrictions on President Buhari and his family immediately he vacates office on May 29, 2023.
“This demand for sanction is in line with President Buhari’s request on February 17, 2022 in Brussels, Belgium, wherein he called on the European Union (EU) to impose “weighty sanctions” on those engaged in “unconstitutional change of governments” as well as those influencing the “process and outcomes of elections”.
“The PDP also demands an open investigation into the roles played by President Buhari in the undermining of democracy in Nigeria in the 2019 and 2023 Presidential elections.”
PDP further said the President elect does not have the mandate of majority of Nigerians and that is why they are already at the Tribunal with the prospects of “reclaiming the mandate freely given to our Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar at the Presidential election.”
Ologunagba said: “Nigerians and the International Community are therefore appalled, horrified and scandalized by the careless, unguarded and subjudice comment by President Buhari in which he attempted to justify the rigging of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election by the APC under his watch.
“This statement reveals the utter disregard that General Buhari has for our Constitutional democracy, judiciary and the Will of the Nigerian people as expressed at the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.
” It is, to say the least, reprehensible for Mr. President to posture and gloat over the trampling of the Will of Nigerian, blame the opposition for being overconfident and, according to him, for not being “tactical”, perhaps enough to outwit the violence, brutality, threats, suppression of voters, rigging and election manipulations by the APC and the government which he heads.
“It is unpardonable that President Buhari, who swore to uphold the laws of our country and made several commitments to the world to ensure free, fair, credible and transparent election, is rather in approval of election rigging through manifest compromise of INEC system and wide-spread alteration, falsification and switching of election results in favour of his rejected party, the APC.
“President Buhari is practically gloating over the undermining of democracy by INEC which refused to transmit directly results from the Polling Units to its Server/Website and announce same, in total violation of the express provisions of Section 64 Sub-section 4 (a) (b) of the Electoral Act, 2022.
“More distressing is that after superintending over the rigging of the election, President Buhari, by his subjudice comments apparently seeks to bully, blackmail and influence the judiciary and the outcome of the petition pending before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, so as to allow his Party, the APC and its candidate to “grab, snatch and run” with the people’s mandate.”
