PDP challenges YPP to prove Emmanuel visited INEC headquarters to influence results

Ini Billie, Uyo

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in Akwa Ibom State to produce proof that Governor Udom Emmanuel visited the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in the state before the Presidential, Senatorial and House of Representatives election results were collated and announced.

State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Borono Bassey, threw this challenge to the State Party Chairman of YPP, Apostle Nyeneime Andy after the party revealed in a press conference in Uyo that Governor Emmanuel visited and spent four hours at the INEC office.

In a press statement made available to our correspondent in Uyo on Wednesday, Bassey said the allegation was false deceitful and selfish, and shouldn’t be uttered by a professing Pastor.

“It was indeed a crying shame to see the State Chairman of the YPP, a party who could not win even one seat in the just concluded National Assembly election, gather the handful of their members and sit in front of the media to shamelessly blame their woeful failure on other factors other than the truth which is that Akwa Ibom people have seen through the deceits and selfishness which is the foundation of their decision to congregate as Political Party.

“During the Press Conference, which was merely a session of the YPP leaking their wounds of defeat, Mr Nyeneime falsely claimed that Governor Udom Emmanuel visited and spent four hours at the INEC office. We challenge Apostle Nyeneime Andy to produce even the tiniest shred of evidence that shows that Governor Udom Emmanuel had visited the INEC office on the said day, or else the lying State Chairman of YPP should never stand before his Church to preach against the sin of lying.

“We are shocked that the ill-fated and makeshift Political Party – YPP, like the recently accused Murderer Uduak Akpan recently boasted, is using reverse psychology to make the false accusation on the electoral umpire, INEC, our Party, the PDP and Governor Udom Emmanuel, given that the security agencies have received several tip-offs about heinous activities by known YPP Chieftains ahead of the forthcoming elections,” he stated.

The PDP Publicity Secretary revealed that there are intelligence reports that the YPP Chieftains were planning to commit heinous activities during the forthcoming Governorship and State House of Assembly elections, and evidence to show intimidations and attempted assault on INEC staff in the last elections.

He further stated that there are plans by the YPP to import thugs into the state to scuttle the Saturday elections and warned them against taking such steps, saying the PDP would not tolerate their excesses. 

“There are videos showing notable YPP chieftains in the State at INEC offices in different Local Governments in Akwa Ibom State dishing out crude intimidations and making attempts to assault staff of INEC.

“We must warn that our party will not tolerate a repeat of this kind of behaviour as we have petitioned the security agencies to ensure that they deploy video surveillance all over the state and also apprehend the Chieftain of any political party who makes effort to mar the smooth, credible and peaceful conduct of the March 11, 2023 elections.

“Again, the PDP and the Security Agencies in Nigeria are also in receipt of intelligence from even top-ranking members of the YPP whose hearts still lie with the PDP that the YPP has ferried in thugs from neighbouring states and are camping them in facilities owned by known YPP chieftains in preparation to use in executing the plan in their playbook which is to unleash unimaginable violence on voters across the State.

“On receipt of this life-threatening intelligence, we had alerted security agencies who have swung into action to investigate and nip any chance of the execution of these atrocious plans by YPP in the bud,” he said.

The PDP urged Akwa Ibom people to massively exercise their franchise on Saturday in support of the party and expressed gratitude to citizens who have demonstrated their faith in the PDP, saying the party would honour its own end of the unspoken social contract with the people.