Text of a World Press Conference Addressed by the PDP National Caretaker Committee  on the Recently Conducted Elections in Edo and Rivers State, in Abuja on Tuesday 13th December 2016.

 Gentlemen of the Press,
We address you today with a heavy heart. We address you today because our hard-won democracy is under grave threat. This threat is conceived, planned and executed by some elements within the current APC-led governments at both National and state levels, that has unleashed its security apparatus on a rampaging exercise of electoral violence, acts of brigandage and a pervasive culture of impunity and arbitrary conducts witnessed during the Edo state governorship election and in the just concluded legislative re-run elections in Rivers state.


 We condole with the families of those who lost their dear ones during the cause of the December 10th re-run elections in Rivers State, wishing that the souls of the departed rest in the bosom of the Lord.

 1. The military, SARS, DSS in the most heinous crime, harassed, intimidated, and where there is resistance, killed voters, all in a bid to subvert the will of the people of Rivers State in the just concluded re-run legislative elections.\
2. It is no longer news that the sole reason why the minister of transport Hon. Rotimi Amaechi returned to Rivers state, was to return Sen. Magnus Abe as Senator- elect by all means possible, little wonder the haste at which INEC hurriedly declared Sen. Magnus Abe as winner of the Rivers South-East senatorial election even when it was obvious, no election took place in Rivers South-East  senatorial zone, rather what we witnessed, was an ‘’arrangee’’ and concocted figures after the military have successfully chased away voters and whisked away election materials.

 3. Since the return to civil democratic governance on 29 May 1999, Nigerians and the instruments, institutions and processes that underpin the electoral system have been on a determined learning curve on the need to have elections and election environment that are free, fair, just, transparent and non-violent in nature. It has not been easy to overcome the difficult, unwholesome and unbecoming electoral practices of previous eras and republics as witnessed in some of the post-1999 electoral processes but we never gave up hope.

 4. Crucially, with the choice of capable election managers, improvement in funding and capacity building of the INEC and the education of critical stakeholders-political parties and the candidates they sponsor for elections, the voting public, election monitors/observers, active duty security agents, etc.- there has been a remarkable positive turnaround in the justness and fairness of the Nigerian electoral system as witnessed in the 2011 general elections and the much more improved 2015 general elections.

 5.  The legacy of the various PDP led governments in the area of managing the electoral system have been salutary. For example, the government of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo embarked on the reform of the Electoral Act and the overall improvement of the electoral environment, including the funding of INEC on first line charge, with modest positive outcomes. The late President Umaru Yar'adua recognized the defects attendant on the conduct of the 2007 election that brought him to power and made profound electoral reform one of the most important cornerstones of his governance vision and agenda. President Goodluck Jonathan continued from where the late President Yar'adua let off and so improved the electoral system as to make the INEC truly independent in name and fact; a process that the APC richly benefitted from in the 2015 general elections.

 6. Most tragically, Nigerians are confronted with inefficient, chaotic, violent and unsatisfactory electoral system, practices and environment since the inception of the current APC government on 29 May 2015. A few examples will suffice here. The governorship election in the single state of Kogi was declared inconclusive. The governorship election in the single state of Bayelsa was also declared inconclusive and had to be repeated after several postponements. The Governorship election in Edo state was also postponed for inadequate preparation, threat of violence and the breakdown of law and order. When eventually the election was held it was marred by unspeakable level of violence perpetrated by members of the military, the police force and the SSS on behalf of the APC. These paid servants of the Nigerian state became instant political thugs overnight, snatching ballot papers, stuffing ballot boxes, threatening, harassing, intimidating and dehumanizing the opponents of the party in power.

 7. The climax of this show of shame was witnessed in the serially postponed Rivers legislative re-run election that was conducted a few days ago. Comparable only to the bloodletting, unspeakable tales of horror, breakdown of law and order and utter exercise of impunity by members of the security agencies that defined the general election of 1964 and the Western Regional election of 1965, the Rivers re-run election witnessed the brazenly violent and uncouth behaviour of Nigerian soldiers, police officers and state security personnel who became overnight agents of the APC. They snatched ballot papers at gunpoint, stuffed ballot papers at gun point, chased away PDP poll agents at gun point, barricaded collation centres and denied entry to critical stakeholders, including INEC officials at gun point and filled result sheets at gun point.

 8. We can go on and on but suffice it to stress that we want to use the opportunity of this press conference to place in the public domain for the scrutiny of Nigerians and members of the international community the threat to the survival of Nigerian democracy posed by an unfair electoral umpire, a thoroughly compromised security apparatus and a government that is either indifferent or unable to call to order some of its appointees or elected governors. By coincidence, most of these players were the bad elements that left the PDP and joined the APC just to acquire power.   They do not mean well for our country and do not even mean well for Mr President and his government.

 9. We call on all critical stakeholders in the management of the electoral process to speak out and condemn this alarming situation, this steady descent into the high road of political perdition and ruin. We call on civil society structures, political pressure groups, and election observers/monitors not to hold their peace but to speak out without delay. We call on the media to focus relentless searchlight on the horrendous state of our electoral system since the APC came to power. Our call is a patriotic one because the tragedy we see with regard to the failed conduct of elections in single states will pale into insignificance when placed alongside the potential total breakdown of law and order in the 2019 general election.

 10.We are particularly proud of the dynamic governor of Rivers state, His Excellency Governor NyesomWike, the good people of Rivers state and all our candidates in the elections for remaining united in the face of daunting provocations. We congratulate the winners on their victories and those that were frustrated by INEC for their gallant performances.  We are confident that we would have won all the seats contested but for the schemes of enemies of Democracy.  The PDP as a law abiding party will contest all outstanding issues in the tribunal and the court.  We have extreme regard for the judiciary and believe that the court will do justice to all the issues.

 11.  Finally, we thank all PDP supporters nationwide for their support and contributions during the re-run elections in Rivers State.  We say well done!  Remain loyal and continue to encourage us to do more infuture elections in the Country.  This is a test case for the 2019 general elections and we must all be vigilant, prepared to protect our votes and defend democracy in general.

 12.In conclusion, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who compromised their job, and aided in massively rigging the re-run elections must be brought to book by the Commission.

 13. Men of the Nigerian Police Force, especially SARs, who were used to rig the elections must be investigated, and possibly expelled from the Force by the Inspector General of Police. Ditto for the Military and the DSS.

 14.  We call on His Excellency President Mohammadu Buhari, GCFR to immediately call his minister, Rotimi Amaechi, and some other top functionaries of his government to order, to desist from further actions capable of truncating democracy in Nigeria.

 15. No group of persons must be seen to be above the laws of this country.

 16.Thank you for listening and may God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.