The All Progressives Congress, APC, has slammed the presidency for its response to the warning by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State that if the 2015 elections are rigged, the party will not recognize the outcome and will go ahead and form a parallel government.

The APC said in a statement Friday that Mr. Amaechi’s comment represents the stand of the party.

The statement issued in Lagos on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, said that what Mr. Amaechi said at the APC’s Salvation Rally, which has now rankled the presidency, was simply to reiterate the stand taken by the party before the last Osun State Governorship election.

“Those who are fretting about this statement are those who are planning to rig the elections and they should be warned that Nigerians will no longer accept the outcome of any fraudulent polls. Those who incite the people are those who steal their mandate.

“What we made is a conditional statement. If A happens, then B will follow. That means if elections are not rigged, there will be no problem. It is therefore laughable that anyone will call that statement treasonable,” it said, adding that there is no higher treason than the subversion of the people’s will.

APC said it is common knowledge that anywhere in the world where elections have been rigged, the consequences have been dire, and Nigeria will not be an exception.

“Let us remind the presidency, in case it has forgotten, that election fraud triggered a civil war in Algeria in the early 1990s, led to the killing of over 1,000 people in post-election riots in Kenya in 2007/2008 and fired a near revolution in Iran in 2009/2010. Electoral frauds also corrupt democracy and breed dictatorship, and risks making the people to lose confidence in democracy. Why then would any government react violently if warned against election rigging?” the party queried.

It said that instead of issuing threats and engaging in name calling, the presidency should simply brace up to ensure that the forthcoming elections are not only free, fair and credible, but are seen to be so by Nigerians and the international community.

APC said it is necessary to constantly warn the PDP and the Federal Government not to tamper with the 2015 polls because of their penchant for electoral desperation, which manifests in the intimidation of the opposition and the militarization of election, disposition to anarchy and propensity for impunity.

The party said already, the process leading to the 2015 polls are flawed, with moves to disenfranchise millions of Nigerians by making it impossible for them to either register or get their Permanent Voters Cards and the plot to depopulate the strongholds of the opposition.

“PDP and the governments it sired, especially at the centre, are lawless and anarchic. That’s why they can unleash the police against federal legislators in an attempt to force a removal of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. That’s why a state under the control of the PDP will use seven lawmakers to remove the Speaker in a 26-member House of Assembly.

“Because it is said that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom, we will constantly warn the PDP and the Federal Government not to tamper with the 2015 elections. We will constantly chide them for trying to institutionalize impunity. We cannot and will not be intimidated by an uptight presidency,” it said.

“The PDP and the Jonathan Administration are the masters of impunity, and they will not hesitate to exploit any sign of docility in the face of their evil intentions on the part of the opposition. The lessons are there: Had the members of the House of Representatives been docileon Thursday when remote-controlled security agents invaded their premises and barred them from entering, Tambuwal would have ceased to be the Speaker by now.

“For us, the gloves are off. We will no longer engage in any nicety as long as some people are bent on thwarting the will of the people through electoral fraud. All we are demanding is a free, fair and credible election. All we are saying is that no one should incite the people by stealing their mandate. How these demands can be construed to mean treason is as baffling as the do-or-die disposition of the ruling PDP to elections,” the party said.

Lai Mohammed

National Publicity Secretary

All Progressives Congress (APC)

Lagos, Nov. 21st 2014