Alhaji Lai Muhammed is the National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In an
interview with some senior journalists in Lagos at the weekend, he said the shifting in the dates of the
general election has finally nailed the coffin of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Excerpts:
Is it true that your party leadership meet the INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega in Dubai or any other place
as being alleged?
Nothing like that happened. People like Femi Fani-Kayode, when they make statement, nobody cares to
see whether it is true or not. I believe we should be able to ask him, where in Dubai did the meeting
take place? Which leadership of the party met in Dubai?
But he said he was not going to release any more information
Because he doesn’t have any. If he has that information, knowing him very well, he would have wanted
it published.
Don’t you see that the PDP is trying to do a damage-control when its National Chairman, Adamu
Mu’azu came out to pass vote of confidence on Jega?
Yes. Let me tell you; it is clear that the PDP does not want Jega. The PDP does not want this election
to go on at all and if they want it to go on they don’t want Jega to conduct it. They don’t want the
use of card readers, they don’t want free and fair election and I am going to support everything that I
have said.
One, if there is no pressure from Nigerians and the international community, there will be no elections
because if the military has given us at least six weeks, that is elastic; perhaps six weeks is not enough.
Two, the postponement was President Jonathan using the military to blackmail INEC so that they can
have more time for their smear campaign, have time to militarise the election, more time to perfect
their rigging machinery, hoping that within that time, the court will be used to disqualify Buhari, steal
more money and buy PVCs. Those are the reasons they postponed the elections.
Three, you can see that the moment the postponement was made, the only party on record, when we
met Jega that supported the postponement was PDP and 16 other portfolio political parties. I am
serious.
When, the position was made, PDP justified it; they were happy about it. Last Saturday, I was on TV
programme, Okupe said there was no way election can hold because X number of people have not got
their PVCs but surprisingly they did not use the argument of PVCs but that of security. Is it not
surprising that the same day that the Council of State was meeting and the PDP co-travelers met and
made allegations against the INEC chairman, Jega, asking for his arrest? They were preparing the
ground for postponement.
The PDP came, I mean Ahmadu Ali that they had no confidence in Jega.
Now, given the fact that INEC had given a 4-week extension for people to go and collect their PVCs,
(as of February 5, 2015 about 67% of Nigerians had collected theirs), so, it is reasonable to assume
that within four weeks, all those who intended to collect their PVCs could have done so. How now
come that they are now asking that we should not use PVCs again and that we should use TVCs
because if the collection of PVC is at 70% it means that as of today, 70% of Nigerians have PVCs, why
are we now going to ask them to go back and use TVC? I can’t have my TVC again because I have
submitted my TVC to have my PVC. The question people will be asking is that how do you want the
election to have integrity? What has happened to the money you invested in card readers and the
training? So purely you can see that these people don’t want elections.
So if you look at those people who are fighting hardest for PDP, they are fighting for their lives not for
the country.
They are only protecting themselves and they would do anything to ensure that President Jonathan
wins this election. That is what they prefer. There is no way these people will want a change of
government, because they know what is in store for them.
With Pressident Jonathan’s statement that he would hand over if he lost, haven that changed your
perception about election holding?
There is no way I would believe anything Jonathan says. Absolutely, not possible. You all watched the
tape on Ekiti rigging. These are the same people that came out to say that the Ekiti election was free
and fair and trying to justify that it is only when APC loses elections that they complain. After what I
saw in Ekiti, in that tape, I don’t believe Mr. President one bit.
There are two conditions we want to put on ground; one election must hold as scheduled. Two, the
elections must be free, fair and card readers must be used. Thirdly, there must not be militarization.
The military must not play any role in these elections. If these conditions are met, we are going to
accept the outcome of the elections.
What is the assurance that March 28th and April 11th election stand and two, what happens if they
start to reverse the order of election?
We have heard that also. We would resist it because they must tell us why? What would be the logistic
reasons putting one first before the other? We did not dictate which one should come first. As a matter
of fact, we wanted it from the bottom up. Now if anybody had planned to have National Assembly and
presidential polls first, if they tell us they wanted to change, it means they are trying to rig for Jonathan
and that election would lack credibility.
We are not going to accept any change. Some Nigerians are asking me what would they do in case
they shift they election again, and I said they should resist. The presidency, the government, the
political parties are products of this country.
How has the postponement affected your plans?
Clearly, the intention of Jonathan administration in postponing the election is to create chaos and
create an atmosphere where elections would not hold at all, but we thank God that they are
disappointed. I think the reaction of our party and our presidential candidate appealing for calm above
all must have shocked them immensely. Run up to the postponement, deliberately, they were showing
videos of post-2011 elections where people say Buhari asked people to be burning cars and killing
people. So, this is what they are expecting, but thank God, wiser counsel prevailed and today we have
frustrated their first initial plan.
We thank God that postponement has annoyed more people and they have lost more supporters than
they thought they would gain.
Third, I wouldn’t pretend, it would affect us because one, we now have to look for more money. Two, it
would now give opportunity to continue with their smear campaign. It would also allow them to perfect
their rigging plans, that is why you see the deployment of soldiers to some duties. But I can assure you,
if anybody takes the poll between last Saturday and today, I can assure you that APC has gone higher
in the rating and PDP has gone down.
Yes, the intentions were to derail us and ensure they arrest our momentum, but unfortunately, what
they have done was to postpone their funeral; you can’t wake up a dead man. What we would do is to
make the best of a bad situation within the six weeks to gain more ground and acceptance everywhere.
What if those after Buhari get a pliable judge to get disqualify him?
Nobody should toy with the fate of this country because the consequences would be too dire. Not all
the people that are chanting change, change belong to APC? Because it is clear, if one is qualified as a
General and he retired as a General in the Army, it is clear that Jonathan’s aim only is that Buhari does
not run. It is clear that it is between him and Alex Barde, the Chief of Defence Staff, that the certificate
of Buhari was removed from his record and it is on record. General Alani Akinrinade’s interview is so
illuminating. Akinrinade said it is not true, he joined the Army before Buhari, they requested for their
certificates and their certificates were still with the Army till today.
http://sunnewsonline.com/new/?p=105539

shoki

Apc dream alots! GEJ till 2019!!!

Let's wait till march 28
GEJ till APC start saying d truth

Hi pls oe do I post topics.

Lia Muhammad stop feeding us with false rumor.
The previous ones have not fully digested.

MrKnowitall:
Politically Dumb Party (PDP) death warrant was signed in 1999...it was just never delivered. However, the right address was located and the warrant was served. The only thing left now is the execution. The date has been set (March 28) and the people are jubilating and rejoicing. The execution of PDP will be a spectacle to behold.

Oga i don't understand ur section again o. I made a comment on a thread and i was banned by anti spam bot...do something about it abeg.