Following the claims by the Young Progressives Party, (YPP) in Akwa Ibom State that the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has collaborated with the ruling party, the PDP to rig the coming Gubernatorial/State Assembly elections, the state chapter of the PDP has challenged YPP to produce evidence of its claims.
The state chairman of YPP, Apostle Nyeneime Andy, had while briefing newsmen alleged that Governor Emmanuel visited and spent several hours with the INEC to plan how to rig the coming polls.
Andy claimed that the party had received an intelligence report of an alleged plot to favour the ruling PDP in the state and called on the police, the DSS and international observers to take curious interest in Akwa Ibom’s election to avert the plot.
He alleged that the state PDP with the support of INEC has perfected plans to rig the forthcoming polls.
However, in a swift reaction through a statement on Friday, titled” 2023 Elections and YPP’s First Alibi for Looming Defeat” the state PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Borono Bassey challenged the YPP chairman who is an overseer of an Uyo-based church to produce evidence to buttress his claims without which he should not stand on the pulpit to preach against the sin of lying.
The statement reads in part “We challenge Apostle Nyeneime Andy to produce even the tiniest shred of evidence that show that governor Udom Emmanuel had visited INEC office on the said day, else the lying state chairman of YPP should never stand before his church to preach against the sin of lying.
“We are shocked that the ill-fated and makeshift Political Party – YPP, is using reverse psychology to make false accusation on the electoral umpire, INEC, our Party, the PDP and Governor Udom Emmanuel, given that the security agencies have received several tip-offs about heinous activities by known YPP chieftains ahead of the forthcoming elections.
“For instance, there are videos showing notable YPP chieftains in the state at INEC offices in different Local Governments in Akwa Ibom state dishing out crude intimidations and making attempts to assault staff of INEC.
“We must warn that our party will not tolerate a repeat of this kind of behaviour as we have petitioned the Security agencies to ensure that they deploy video surveillance all over the state and also apprehend chieftains of any political party who makes effort to mar the smooth, credible and peaceful conduct of the rescheduled~ elections.
“Again, the PDP and the security agencies in Nigeria are also in receipt of intelligence from even top-ranking members of the YPP whose hearts still lie with the PDP that the YPP has ferried in thugs from neighbouring states and are camping them in facilities owned by known YPP chieftains in preparation to use them in executing the plan in their playbook which is to unleash unimaginable violence on voters across the state”.
Bassey revealed that on receipt of this life-threatening intelligence, they alerted security agencies who swung into action to investigate and nip any chance of the execution of these atrocious plans by YPP in the bud.
The PDP therefore urged Akwa Ibom residents to again troop out to their respective polling units and use their Permanent Voters Cards and massively vote the PDP and consequently send a clear message to the elements who wish to drag the state backwards.
