APC supporters condemn, tag PDP protest undemocratic

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja 

An All Progressives Congress (APC) group, under the auspices of Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group, has condemned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) protest march over the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.

The group claimed that the protest was to intimidate the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from conducting Saturday’s governorship and State Assemblies elections.

National Coordinator of the Support Group, Usman Ibrahim made the disclosure at a press conference held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Wednesday.

Though there were isolated hitches in the conduct of the election, according to the group, INEC delivered on its promise of a free and fair election which produced Bola Tinubu as winner and now President-elect.

“We are all witnesses to events before and after the February 25 polls which was conducted in a free and fair atmosphere as attested by both local and international observers.

“This is not to say that there were no hitches in the conduct of the election. In our estimation, INEC, in the face of numerous challenges delivered on its promise of a free and fair election.

“However, the declaration of the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu as the winner of the election by INEC, has sparked an array of unsubstantiated reasons by the opposition and their supporters to discredit the election and by extension the electoral umpire.

“In as much as we appreciate the freedom of all and sundry to express their feelings we are most worried by blatant lies couched in the desperation to truncate the electoral victory of Bola Tinubu.

“We are also at loss as to why men of high standing in the country will resort to using irrational approaches to pursue their political ambitions,” it lamented.

Reacting further, the group said: “Yes, the right to protest is constitutional in Nigeria and globally recognised but this lawful freedom must be exercised in tandem with every sense of decency.

“In this vein, we urged PDP, to exercise restraint in its desperation to gag INEC with the sole intent of intimidating the commission from conducting the upcoming gubernatorial and State Assembly elections scheduled for March 11.

“It should absolve itself with gathering evidences to substantiate its case at the tribunal,” he said.