By-elections: PDP Crying Wolf Ahead Imminent Defeat - Ayade

Cross River State Governor, Sir Ben Ayade has said that the People's Democratic Party, PDP in the state is crying wolf ahead of imminent defeat in the Saturday 26th Ogoja/Yala federal constituency and Akpabuyo State Assembly by-elections. 

The Governor in a statement by his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Linus Obogo denied the accusation by the opposition PDP that he was planning to use the Military and Police to disrupt the byelections. 

According to him "We read with disbelief the chuckleheaded statement by the troubled Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alleging state government's plan to, in its words: "use military and police to disrupt the by-elections.”

Sadly, this is a well-worn narrative of a fractured, incohesive and disoriented party accustomed to crying wolf. It is not surprising that faced with imminent trouncing at the February 26 by-elections in Ogoja/Yala and Akpabuyo, PDP has already begun shopping for reasons for

its impending waterloo, an epic defeat. 

But how else can PDP orchestrate their excuses other than to begin tilting at the windmills?"

Ayade added that, "Just when the Cross River public is still gripped by a jaw-dropping N250 million scandal and how it has ratcheted up offshore fundings to compromise INEC and the security agencies in the by-elections, PDP would rather gloss over the sleaze and attempt to deflect attention from its criminal act.

It is also common knowledge that PDP has been engaging in the most brazen and criminal activity in the countdown to the by-elections by recruiting and transporting students from one of the tertiary institutions in the state to perpetrate criminality in the coming by-elections. 

Victory at the two by-elections is already a fait accompli for the APC because the party fielded candidates with wide appeal and acceptability and will therefore, not borrow from PDP’s story book of cultism and banditory". 

Continuing, Ayade maintained that he "will not descend into an ignoble act of banditory to secure victory in a by-election where our candidates with grassroots and Catholic following tower head and shoulders high above their opponents".

While calling on the general public to ignore the accusation, he added that "indeed, APC is not unaware of how the PDP Appeal Court lawmaker has been giving money to his goons to go to the remotest areas of Ogoja to procure PVCs with an intent to commit electoral heist. The PDP's allegation is at best the last kick of a dying horse".