PDP asks INEC chairman, IGP to resign

Uche Secondus, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has called on Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC), and Ibrahim Idris, inspector general of police, to resign ahead of the 2019 general election.

Secondus made the call at the national executive committee (NEC) meeting of the party in Abuja on Thursday.

The PDP chairman accused the IGP of working for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to “arrest and intimidate its opponents”.

He also alleged that the INEC chairman lacked the will and capacity to deliver free and fair elections.

“We want to do this advance warning that we are lovers of democracy and peace,” Secondus said.

“We want the peace of our nation; so, let them note all they have done, even in the case of Kwara and Bauchi, where we warned clearly that they announced different results.

“That will no longer be acceptable. We therefore call on the INEC leadership headed by Professor Yakubu to quietly resign because he does not have strong will and courage to conduct free and fair election.

“We also call on the IGP to resign and go because I have never witnessed in the history of our nation, from the First Republic even in the military regime, we have never seen this kind of act and the way and manner the police force have been used by the government of APC against the ordinary citizens.

“Our people are being killed on a daily basis and as I speak with you, leaders of PDP have been earmarked to be murdered and killed.

“The country will rise to defend the values of our founding fathers, and of our democracy.

“We must defend. We are not afraid. If you want a nation to be rescued from hunger, killings, we must be ready.”

The PDP chairman advised members of the party not to stay in Abuja but go to the grassroots to work for the victory of the party in the general election.

“This is the time we must be ready to go down to the grassroots, to do away with the style of gathering in Abuja, because I believe that the campaign structure will be a smart and very effective one,” he said.

“The matter is not in Abuja, It is directly at the grassroots. I believe that after this meeting, some people will have to relocate to their homes.

“We are aware of what happened in 2015, where we gathered at Legacy House in Abuja for everybody meeting but there was no result. We reject that. It will never happen again.”