PDP, Others Planning To Discredit Outcome Of 2019 Elections – FG

The opposition parties are planning to discredit the outcome of the forthcoming presidential election if President Muhammadu Buhari wins, the Federal Government has alleged.

It said as part of the alleged plan, the opposition was planning to send a 10-member delegation to some foreign countries to sell the idea that the Buhari Presidency was not going to hold credible elections.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made these allegations at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday.

The minister said the government and Nigerians must not allow those he described as “desperate politicians ” to scuttle the nation’s democracy.

Zebra News reports that the minister had earlier alleged that opposition politicians are planning to recruit arm bandits to cause widespread violence during the forthcoming general elections.

Mohammed claimed that the government is in possession of credible intelligence confirming the allegation.

‘‘As you are aware, Nigeria goes to the polls just 27 days from now.

‘‘However, the Federal Government is in possession of credible intelligence to the effect that widespread violence being orchestrated by the opposition is threatening the 2019 general elections,’’ he said.

On the reasons for the plot, the minister said the opposition politicians, having realised that their fortunes had dwindled ahead of the polls, were orchestrating widespread violence with a view to truncating the elections.

‘‘You have definitely seen the massive and warm reception that President Muhammadu Buhari has been receiving across the country, compared to the thinning crowds that have been attending the opposition rallies.

‘‘The desperate opposition is orchestrating widespread violence with a view to truncating the elections, thus triggering a constitutional crisis that could snowball into the establishment of an interim government,’’ he said.

Mohammed explained the Federal Government’s claims and allegation against the opposition politicians to justify that the government was not just crying wolf.

He said ‘‘We have credible intelligence that bandits and Boko Haram insurgents have been mobilised to engage in massive attacks and other acts of violence in several states across the country.

‘‘The states include: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Benue, Kano, Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara.

‘‘The Benue-based armed criminal group, led by Terwase AKWAZA, also known as Gana, has been commissioned to strike soft targets in Benue, Nasarawa, and Taraba States.

‘‘In Kano State, a group of notorious miscreants have been mobilised by some prominent opposition leaders to provoke massive chaos before, during and after the elections.’’

He added that there was also an international dimension to the evil plan.

‘‘Some armed mercenaries from Niger Republic have been contracted to attack top government functionaries, including state governors, across the North-West between now and the elections,’’ he said.

The minister said the Federal Government is taking every possible measure to counter the evil plans by unpatriotic anarchists and would ensure the smooth conduct of the forthcoming general elections.

He assured of the President Buhari-led Administration’s commitment to credible, free, fair and peaceful elections was unshaken.

Mohammed appealed to all Nigerians to be vigilant in the days ahead.

He also appealed to the media to help in sensitizing members of the public to the observed threats, capable of disrupting the elections.

‘‘The punch line of our long-running campaign on security – if you see something, say something – remains relevant, perhaps even more, at this time,’’ he said.

He added that all the relevant agencies under his ministry would work together to ensure that Nigerians are alerted to the dangers posed to the forthcoming elections by the unpatriotic characters planning to destabilize the country in order to realize their inordinate ambitions.