The Peoples Democratic Party on Tuesday accused the All Progressives Congress of attempting to drag the military into partisan politics.
The PDP also noted with regret that some statements credited to some leaders of the APC concerning the rescheduled general elections were attempts to cause political crisis in the country.
The said statements, the PDP further said, are aimed at denigrating the esteemed position of the military in maintaining the unity of Nigeria.
The PDP Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, stated this while fielding questions from journalists in Abuja.
According to Secondus, “The APC is just playing to the gallery and unnecessarily overheating the system by beating the drums of war and shouting wolves where there is none.
“The truth is that the Independent National Electoral Commission was not ready for the elections and lacks the ability and strength to say so.
“How can INEC say that the basic reason for the shift of the elections was the security crisis in the North East states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe without telling Nigerians the challenges it is facing in the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards?”
INEC, Secondus said, was indicted in a report submitted to it by the two United States Institutes – the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute.
He said the commission failed to tell Nigerians the level of its preparedness in terms of training of more than 900,000 ad-hoc staff and the distribution of all sensitive materials.
He said: “|How can INEC claim to be ready for the elections when in some states about 50 per cent of the voters are yet to collect the voter cards?
“In Lagos State with the highest number of voters, more than 33 per cent are yet to collect their PVCs.
“Yet INEC says it is ready to conduct the elections.
“Is INEC out to disenfranchise eligible voters and then find another way to discredit the entire electoral system?
“What of the Card Reading Machines?
“Has INEC test run these machines?
“Are all the PVCs for the elections in the country?
“We have it on good authority that the PVCs for five or four states are not yet distributed, let alone collected by the eligible voters.
“INEC should be honest enough to tell Nigerians the truth than hiding under security reports.”
Secondus frowned at the continued denigration of the military by the APC, pointing out that the “military is the professional body that is charged with the maintenance and stability of the country and should not be dragged into political issues.
“This is in the overall national interest of all Nigerians.
“The military is the backbone of all nations and we as politicians must avoid at all times from dragging this revered institution into politics and politicization of the military.
“To do so is an evil wind that will not blow Nigeria any good.
“A stitch in time saves nine.
“APC should avoid dragging Nigeria into crisis.
“When the military says that it cannot guarantee lives and property during election and advised that the elections should be shifted, why does APC doubt the decision of the military?
“What is six weeks in the life of a nation for elections to take place, if not the APC plot of throwing the baby and the bath water?”
—