Special Adviser to the Edo State Governor on Political Matters, Chief Charles Idahosa says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held the instrument of rigging elections in the country since 1999, saying therefore that the party’s persistent attack on the judiciary and the Presidency over tribunal rulings were uncalled for.
According to him, “President Muhammadu Buhari was not President when the Governorship election Tribunal annulled PDP elections in Ekiti, Ondo and Edo states, so why are they blaming the Presidency for Tribunal rulings which has been going against them now. Some of us who are veteran politicians, who were even members of the PDP from the formation days are always surprise when we read papers and see the leadership of the PDP accusing the Presidency of meddling into tribunal judgments.
“The PDP should realize that since 1999, the instrument of rigging elections has been in their hands and not in the hands of the APC or Buhari. PDP leaders appointed most of the INEC Commissioners whom they use to perpetrate evil during elections and they tried it in Edo in 2007, when Governor Oshiomhole’s mandate was stolen and the court came to the rescue.
“ PDP has never believed in a free and fair election and some of us who were there before knew that. Can they also blame Buhari of their penchant for imposition of candidates by their god fathers and that is why we have cases where by their candidates emerge not through primaries and the courts cannot close its eyes to such electoral malpractice”.
The leader of the All Progressives congress (APC) in Edo state further stated that “the PDP has nothing any more to offer, their only tactics now is to see if they can rubbish President Buhari before the international community which is not possible because the world knows the destruction PDP had caused in their 16 years in power in the country. So this their penchant of accusing Buhari each time their lose in court is not only stupid and sickening but complete failure on their part”.