El-Rufai: PDP threatens to pull out of peace accord

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to pull out of the peace accord over death threats issued by the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai to officials of the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union.

Speaking in a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) live  programme Tuesday night, El-Rufai, had threatened the foreign nationals who might interfere with Nigeria’s upcoming elections  with violent death.

El-Rufai had said, “Those that are calling for anyone to come and intervene in Nigeria, we are waiting for the person that would come and intervene, they would go back in body bags”.

The governor was reacting to calls by the PDP a few days ago, urging the global community to keep a watchful eye on the processes leading to the general elections, with the view to ensuring free, fair and credible polls.

At a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan described El-Rufai’s comments as inimical to peaceful, free and fair elections.

“The PDP is left with no option than to consider a review of its signatory in the National Peace Accord, if no action is immediately taken to curb this trend”, Ologbondiyan said.

The main opposition party called on the international community to immediately impose a travel ban on el-Rufai for the inciting comments against peaceful elections in the country.

It also called on the National Peace Committee, chaired by  former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar to summon El-Rufai for clarifications on the threat.

“The PDP holds that any situation that seeks to allow the APC to abuse the tenets of the accord will definitely force our party to review our signatory to the peace process.

“We therefore call on the National Peace Committee to immediately summon el-Rufai on his inflammatory remarks against peaceful election in our country.

“In that regard, we might have no option left than to allow our members to defend their votes with whatever that is available to them.

Read Also: Onnoghen must go – El-Rufai

“This country belongs to all of us and no individual or group, no matter how highly placed, can subjugate other citizens or seek to appropriate any sort of absolutism to themselves”

The PDP has similarly kicked against what it described as an alleged plot by the police authorities to redeploy Commissioner of Police, Kayode Egbetokun to Kwara State Command as Commissioner of Police.

The opposition party alleged closeness of Egbetokun to a section of the leadership of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).

This, according to the PDP, might lead to Egbetokun taking sides in the ongoing supremacy tussle between the PDP and the APC chapters in Kwara State.

Ologbondiyan continued, “This is in line with plans by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to effect a mass deployment of top security officers, particularly the police, to intimidate, harass and manhandle Nigerians that will not support the self-succession bid of President Muhammadu Buhari as well as aiding APC thugs to snatch ballot boxes and orchestrate violence in the elections.

“Nigerians are aware of how CP Kayode Egbetokun was posted to Lagos State by the disgraced former Inspector General of Police, Idris Ibrahim, to serve the same partisan interest and how that posting was stopped by the new IGP Adamu Mohammed. Now, he is being redeployed to Kwara State for the same ignoble plot.

“It is necessary to state that the PDP is a party of peace and we are committed to the peace accord. However, the deployment of Kayode Egbetokun as Kwara CP directly negates the principle of the Peace Accord and can only hurt the fragile peace that currently exists in Kwara state.

“We wish to remind the acting Inspector General, Adamu Mohammed that his acceptability among Nigerians across party line was based on the pedigree, which was presented to Nigerians before his appointment.

“These pedigree and exposure place on his shoulders, the responsibility to be just, firm, equitable and professional in the discharge of his duties. We therefore urge him not to allow his reputation to be mired in controversial political activities”.

The party called on the National Peace Committee to note the alleged infractions by the APC and its leaders to the peace accord.

It also drew the attention of the Committee to how the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje on Tuesday shut down all stadia in Kano city in order to frustrate the PDP presidential campaign rally schedule to hold in the state.