PDP to Buhari: walk the talk on electoral reforms

Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged President Muhammadu Buhari to “walk the talk” in his promise to bequeath a legacy of free, fair and credible elections to the nation.

In a statement on Tuesday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said the President’s declaration to leave a legacy of free and fair elections was diversionary posturing.

According to the main opposition party, such declaration, made on the occasion of the President’s birthday celebration, cannot sway Nigerians to place any trust in his administration as far as elections are concerned.

The PDP said Buhari cannot claim to be committed to free and fair elections after he refused to sign the amendment to the Electoral Act.

The party also knocked him for endorsing the outcome of “bloody and manipulated” governorship elections in Bayelsa, Kogi, Kano, Ekiti, Osun as well as the 2019 general elections, in which he and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), were huge beneficiaries.

“Furthermore, Mr. President cannot rightly assert a commitment to electoral reform when he congratulated all beneficiaries of past flawed elections, while his administration failed to take any decisive step to bring known riggers and perpetrators of violence in these elections to book.

“Our party notes that penance is a process from which a President is not forbidden. However, we invite Mr. President to note that the true electoral reform, which our nation requires today, goes beyond mere verbal posturing. He needs to openly support the strengthening of our electoral laws and the decisive application of the provisions thereof,” the statement added.

The PDP further tasked the President to demonstrate his commitment to free, fair and credible electoral process by immediately returning the Electoral Act amendment bill to the National Assembly for accelerated consideration with a commitment from him to sign it into law upon passage.

The party said: “The demonstration of this birthday declaration should also include a presidential order for the immediate prosecution of the killers of Mrs. Salome Abuh and all those killed in the last Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections.

“Mr. President should as well order the release of information to Nigerians on who was responsible for the deployment of a police helicopter to attack voters who queued up to perform their civic responsibilities and aided the manipulation of the Kogi governorship election to favour his party.

“Moreover, as part of a commitment to this birthday declaration, Mr. President must assure Nigerians that he will not interfere in the process of legislative consideration of all amendments required in the Electoral Act, which is the only way to guarantee free, fair and credible elections in our country”.