TheCable

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the advice of security agencies to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on postponement of the forthcoming Edo governorship election is an attempt to scuttle the country’s democracy.

The department of state service (DSS) and the police had advised INEC to postpone the governorship election, citing security concerns.

But in a statement on Wednesday, Dayo Adeyeye, spokesman of the party, called on PDP members and supporters to remain law-abiding and stay “alert on this calculated attempt at scuttling our hard-earned democracy”.

He accused APC of seeking postponement of the poll, “having seen the indices of losing the election to the PDP”.

Adeyeye said it was “lamentable” to hear that the security agencies would say that the governorship election could not hold in a state where the president and all the All Progresives Congress (APC) held leaders and members had an uninterrupted rally.

“Our attention has been drawn to the shocking breaking news of the advice by the DSS and the police to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the Saturday, September 10, 2016 gubernatorial election in Edo state on excuse of insurgency alert,” the statement by Adeyeye read.

“We are taken aback on this advice, coming a day after the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari was present at the Mega Rally of his party, the APC in Benin city, which was concluded without any hitch.

“It is on record that INEC recently conducted a hitch-free senatorial by-election in Borno state, which is a high point of insurgency in the country but the security agencies saw no reason to call off the election.

“We are calling on the President, Muhammadu Buhari to caution the security agencies and direct them to provide full security, and also to desist doing anything that will jeopardize this forthcoming gubernatorial election in Edo State.

“We are equally counting on INEC not to succumb to this false alarm by acting independently and holding election as scheduled.

“We hope that this advice from the security agencies are not in concert with the APC of having seen the indices of losing the Edo State Gubernatorial Election to the PDP.”