1.6m vote claim: Atiku, PDP in post-poll depression, says APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) says that judging by Abubakar Atiku and PDP’s recent utterances and actions, it was now clear that they had slipped into severe depression and post-defeat hallucination.

Lanre Issa-Onilu, the APC publicity secretary said on Wednesday the utterances must have left many Nigerians questioning the current state of mind of members of the PDP.

Issa Onilu spoke in the wake of the claims by a PDP lawyer that the party recorded 1.6m votes more than President Muhammadu Buhari in the Presidential election on 23 February.

Issa-Onilu said the claim only calls for sympathy to the PDP and its candidate.

He said party was not unaware of the antics of Atiku and the PDP to discredit the outcome of the election adjudged free and fair by international and national election observers.

“Following the outcome of the presidential election, during which a vast majority of Nigerians re-affirmed their unshaken belief in President Buhari to continue to steer the affairs of the country for another four years.

“We have watched in disbelief and utter amusement how the opposition, PDP and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, have engaged in series of circus shows to cheer up their crestfallen and disillusioned members.

“While the APC is not oblivious of the PDP’s antics to discredit the credible presidential electoral process, acknowledged by local and international observers, we sympathise with Atiku for the crushing defeat handed him by President Buhari through the votes of Nigerians, “ Issa-Onilu said.

He further noted that after weeks of dilly-dallying, the PDP had woken up to the reality of its electoral defeat and decided to follow the constitutional path of filing a petition at the Election Petition Tribunal.

He described all the prayers of Atiku before the Election Tribunal as“ hollow” at best.

He added that the most ridiculous of Atiku’s prayer was his claim that the server of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicated that he won the presidential election by 1.6 million votes.

Issa-Onilu wondered if this was phantom figure of 1.6 million votes Dubai-invented, and if the result were sold to Atiku by his numerous marabouts.

“Most importantly, we note Atiku’s consistent reference to the INEC server as if he is the custodian of that platform.

“Indeed, Atiku’s constant reference to the INEC server should raise concerns as it is becoming apparent that he and the PDP are up for some dastard activities,“ he said.

The APC spokesman added that the target of Atiku and the PDP could be to jeopardise INEC`s database and internal storage system.

He recalled the widespread reported cases of several programmed card readers retrieved from some PDP agents and their failed attempt to hack the INEC database in the lead-up to the then postponed presidential election.

Issa-Onilu reminded Atiku and PDP that Nigerians saw through the devious schemes aimed at thwarting their will, adding that majority of the voters handed them a harsh verdict which had to remained sacrosanct.

He called on the INEC and the security agencies to be on red alert to ensure that Atiku and other desperate members of the PDP cannot execute their evil machinations.