South-west youth back Buhari’s threat to riggers, urge those planning violence to retrace their steps

The Progressive Yoruba Youths (PYY) has backed President Muhammadu Buhari over strict measures put in place against those plotting to jeopardise the forthcoming elections.

During the All Progressive Congress (APC) caucus meeting in Abuja, Buhari had threatened to come hard on those with plans to rig the elections.

The president’s warning did not go down well with the opposition and the criticised him.

However, the foremost Yoruba youth group has thrown its weight behind the president’s latest move against riggers.

According to the group, the declaration is a wake-up call to security agencies to be unrelenting and decisive in dealing with potential ballot box snatchers, an ugly practice that has been the bane of previous elections.

“Once these ballot boxes have been snatched the result written under the supervision of some corrupt senior officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), who would have gone ahead to accept the pre-written results since they have pre-thumb printed ballot papers that match the fake results they were to declare,” the group said.

“More than the angst at the prospect of their errand boys being killed in the course of snatching ballot boxes, the critics of President Buhari’s assertion are pained that their overall plans have been thrown into a shambles because the scheme to rig cannot be implemented in the absence of violence and ballot snatching. The pre-written result in custody of the compromised INEC officials will no longer tally with the vote cast once the ballot snatchers have been put out of commission.

“We therefore see no reason for law abiding citizens to be concerned over the “snatch ballot box and die” comment. Those that had earlier signed up as ballot snatchers have option of refunding the amounts they have been paid to become cannon fodder. They can also opt to hold onto the money they have been paid since it is not possible for the PDP chieftains that mobilized them to sue for breach of contract as an agreement entered into in pursuit of committing a crime is non-enforceable, especially when this particular deal is with the intention to tamper with Nigeria’s democracy.

“It is however pertinent that we point out where our position slightly differ from that held by Mr President. It is not enough to decisively deal with ballot snatchers, who are mere puppets. It is pertinent that the hands manipulating the puppets are decisively dealt with. With the benefit of technology and forensics, law enforcement agencies should track down those that issued the order for ballot snatching and make them pay for their crimes against democracy and for insulting Nigerians in the worst way possible. So we appeal to Mr President to so direct law enforcement agents.

“Those who were to validate and accept pre-written results, made possible by ballot snatching, should be treated as accessories to this nefarious election crime in Nigeria. We understand that several of them have not only been identified but the tainted money they were paid for this coup against the country have been traced to several accounts. Persons that allowed themselves to be compromised in such manners have no business around election matters. They must therefore be immediately arrested and arraigned for trial on the strength of the evidence against them.”