Even APC is ashamed of 2019 election, their victory will be short lived —Saraki

Senate President Bukola Saraki on Wednesday said the outcome of the 2019 general elections is one nobody is proud of, and that even the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is ashamed of it.

He said the victory APC claimed in the presidential election and some others will be short-lived.

He spoke at an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had announced Buhari as winner of the presidential election, saying he scored 15,19,847 votes to defeat his closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, who polled 11,262,978 votes.

Atiku and his PDP are currently challenging the result in court.

Saraki at the meeting said contrary to how many Nigerians see the result, that the outcome of the March 9 presidential election was a loss not just to PDP but to the entire nation.

He said, “This victory that the other party has seen is going to be short lived. If anybody believes that it is a loss to PDP, it is a loss to the country that history will not forgive.

“We said it many times here, that the worst to do is to do an election that as a country Nigeria will not be proud of.

“We have done an election that no doubt anybody and even those that think they have won are ashamed of the kind of election that we did.

“I think it is a shame to the country and to those that were given that responsibility to do. They have Saturday as their last opportunity to try as much as possible to reclaim part of their embarrassment to the country.

“How can a country like Nigeria, as the speaker said, Ghana has done it, even Congo, even Zimbabwe have done elections. And we say we do elections, with seven inconclusive. We did elections before, in 2015, we did it in 2011, 1999 and after so many years, this is what we can produce.

“It is not a loss to the PDP, it is to the country. It just shows the level of desperation. I have confidence that this will be shortlived and as such let us ensure on Saturday, that these five states that are ours remain within the PDP and INEC should for once do what is right.

“We have a great future ahead and I believe we will start that on Saturday to make sure that we defend those five states that are declared inconclusive.”

Peter Obi, the PDP vice presidential candidate, speaking at the meeting expressed worry over the manner of legacy the APC administration is setting for the younger generation by conducting elections marred with all kinds of frauds.

“As for me, while we blame the INEC and the security agencies, the biggest shame goes to those who are directing them to do the wrong thing.

“If you choose to be a leader, especially with APC that claims integrity, the biggest corruption and the biggest show of a government that does not believe in integrity is to rig election. Because the process through which you come into office, is far more fundamental than what you do there after.

“I think we should hold them responsible for what is happening in this country now. The examples we are setting for the young ones, I don’t know what they will tell a young man who is cheating in an exam in this country after seeing the ways our elections are conducted. I don’t know what they will tell those who are robbing banks and kidnapping people, because we have seen the biggest of it by this election where people are happy after robbing the nation and their states,” he said.

READ ALSO: Prof Yakubu-led INEC setting dangerous precedent in Nigeria’s political history- Dogara

Uche Secondus, the party’s national chairman, had earlier said the NEC meeting was fixed to allow members deliberate on issues relating to the March 23 supplementary polls.

He called on INEC chairman to see that the results of the supplementary polls reflect the wishes of the people of the affected states.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now