By David Kabiyesi
Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP), Atiku Abubakar has tasked Nigerians to always protect their ballots against political thugs and not give in to apathy, iwitnesslive.com can report.
In a statement released by the aggrieved former vice-president said there is no better way to protest against February 25 polls than to come out en masse and cast their votes for PDP in the gubernatorial and National Assembly polls.
“I truly appreciate their resilience, tenacity, and courage. It is indeed heartwarming that they have faith in rescuing and rebuilding our great country, as envisioned by our great party, the PDP.”
“As attested to by both local and international observers, the result of the February 25 presidential election, as announced by INEC, was grossly tainted and did not reflect the will of the electorates.
“Nigerians have demonstrated this blatant injustice through different mediums. And for that, I thank them again for their non-violent conduct despite the provocations.
“Indeed, what INEC did in announcing the manipulated result was a clear breach of not only the 2022 Electoral Act but also of its guidelines, which the electoral commission had repeatedly claimed would uphold the standards we had seen in the Osun and Ekiti elections. Curiously, the INEC Chairman further ignored calls for a review of the process, in line with the amended law,” he said
Atiku then assured that all hope is not lost as the party fights to overturn INEC results in court.
“All hope is not lost.” According to him, “as citizens desirous of a better Nigeria, we must never give in to apathy. The electoral fraud perpetrated by INEC will be reversed in due course as we step up the cause to reclaim our mandate.
“We must continue to show resilience in the defense of our democracy and in the exercise of our rights to vote.
“Consequently, I urge all our supporters to turn out in large numbers on March 11 to cast their votes for the PDP in the governorship and state Houses of Assembly election.”
“There is no better way to demonstrate against the sham of an election of February 25 than for patriotic citizens like you to turn out en masse to vote for a greater and prosperous Nigeria as envisioned by the PDP.”
“I urge you to cast your votes peacefully and in strict compliance with the Electoral Act and INEC guidelines. And having cast your votes, be vigilant and protect those votes,” he concluded.
