Anambra guber: APC, PDP in war of words

                     
                                   … As opposition party alleges rigging plan


In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said nothing on ground so far points to the fact that tomorrow's election would be free, fair and transparent, despite the president's promise.

“Rightly or wrongly in our country, institutions of state take a cue from the president's body language. They know that members of the ruling People Democratic Party (PDP), who engaged in electoral malfeasance and brigandage during last month’s Delta Central Senatorial election were not punished. They know that security agencies that turned themselves to the armed wing of the PDP were not sanctioned. In this context, therefore, the president’s promise of a free and fair election will not mean much to those bent on repeating the same in Anambra State,’’ it said.

But the PDP in its response dismissed the fears of the APC as unfounded.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, said the opposition party was merely crying wolf ahead of Saturday’s governorship election because “it knows that the people have rejected them.”

The PDP, in a statement by Metuh, yesterday also said it was proud of President Goodluck Jonathan’s stand on electoral transparency and credible polls at all levels across the country.

“The APC is now living in morbid fear because the people of Anambra State and the South-East in general have rejected it on account of its tribal stance and hatred for the region as demonstrated in its sectional and anti-people policies including the recent deportation of Anambra State natives from Lagos State.”

The PDP, which described the APC as party of propagandists and the deceitful also wondered why they restricted themselves to criticizing elections only in states where they lost such as Ondo and Delta, but saw nothing wrong in states where they won such as Edo, even when stakeholders in such states had raised credibility issues.

The party stressed that contrary to claims by the opposition, President Jonathan had remained resolute in his commitment to free and fair elections as reflected in his mantra of one man, one vote, noting that the drastic reduction in electoral disputes under President Jonathan was a clear testimony in this regard.

Lashing out at the APC for not imbibing the spirit of sportsmanship, the PDP said President Jonathan had remained open and objective on election issues, adding that “it is on record that the president has always congratulated candidates who won in free and fair elections irrespective of the parties they belong.”

The PDP therefore told the opposition to wake up to the reality of its rejection by the people and look elsewhere to cast its lame vituperations.