The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has tasked Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, to speak out on the alleged boasts by former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Isaac Kekemeke, in a viral video, that the APC will use violence to rig the October 10 election and that he (Akeredolu) was allegedly behind the violent attacks against the PDP campaign in the state.
This was contained in a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary, in Abuja on Monday, which also demanded that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government should respond to the boasts by Kekemeke that “it uses ‘federal might’ to suppress Nigerians and muscle elections for the APC.”
The PDP noted: “The cowardly brag by Kekemeke has further left no one in doubt that Governor Akeredolu and the APC have lost foothold in Ondo state and now resort to thuggery, violence and voter suppression, seeing that there is no way they can win in the election.
“The confession also exposes the fact that the APC had never won any election but only deploys the instrument of electoral manipulations including violence, ballot snatching, rigging, bloodletting and use of compromised security operatives to suppress voters and grab power as witnessed in Kogi, Kano, Ekiti, Osun as well as the 2019 Presidential election, among others.
“The people of Ondo state were shocked when Kekemeke exposed Governor Akeredolu, as being behind the electoral violence in the state, including the wanton destruction of PDP campaign materials as well as APC’s plans to use armed thugs and militants to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens of the state, just because they have rejected a non-performing government.
“In celebrating the vandalizing of PDP campaign posters and bragging that the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, who has the backing of the majority of the people of Ondo state, Kekemeke did not only indict his party but also exposed APC’s morbid fear for Jegede and PDP’s soaring popularity in the state, hence the resort to violence.
“Moreover, Kekemeke’s boasts that Governor Akeredolu is the one currently unleashing violence on the PDP candidate and bragging of help from the Federal Government and the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, further shows that Governor Akeredolu is not on the ground and cannot win in a free and fair contest.
Furthermore, it is distressing that despite Kekemeke’s AK47 boasts and open threats of deploying guns for the Ondo governorship election, he has not been pulled in by any security agencies for questioning and prosecution.”
The PDP demanded the arrest and immediate prosecution of Kekemeke by the security agencies as well as an invitation to Governor Akeredolu to explain his alleged role in the political violence being witnessed in the state.
The statement added that now that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has become aware of “those plotting mayhem in Ondo, our party invites the commission to immediately invite both Kekemeke and Governor Akeredolu for questioning.”
“Governor Akeredolu knows that he has failed the people with his incompetent administration; he should, therefore, accept the fact that they have rejected him and that no amount of violence will make the people of Ondo State bend their resolve to replace him with the PDP candidate, Jegede, come October 10,” the PDP said.