Nigeria: PDP, AC At War Over April 14 Polls

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Action Congress (AC), all in Rivers State, are currently locked in a war of words over the largely controversial April 14 polls in the state.

The publicity machine of the PDP governor-elect, Celestine Omehia, took on the AC on Tuesday, saying their claim on the governorship election in Rivers, is misleading.

The Omehia media team claimed that both the international, local observers and the people of Rivers state affirmed that the election so far conducted in the state by INEC were ''credible, free, fair and peaceful''. For the Omehia team, for Prince Tonye Princewill, the AC gubernatorial candidate in the state to say that the election was a sham and charade, ''was misleading and should therefore be disregarded by the general public''.

Eiring back on Thursday, the Media Consultant to Princewill, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said ''we would not have deemed it necessary to join issues with a group that lives by concocting falsehoods for public consumption or even bothered to react to the conjecture of lies and heinous claims as contained in their attack on us, but for the evil intent and mischievous motive it set to accomplish.

According to the AC, ''keeping mute and folding our hands over this misguided ranting of a morally debased group of ego- seeking political paupers would amount to setting a dangerous precedent of allowing falsehood to thrive over undiluted truth'

Addind, they said ''the unwarranted attack and misleading claim by the Omehia Campaign Organization that both the international and local election observers adjudged the conduct of the election in the state as being free and fair is a poor job, illogical and one goof too many sins''.

With the seeming baseless and unsolicited outburst from the PDP and the AC, nay only succeed in placing a very heavy moral burden on the stifled neck and shaky legs of their masters, who appear to be ignorantly walking down the aisle of political extinction.

Since there was 'election' in Rivers, why all the hues and cries which many believe is consequent upon the fraudulent election result the INEC released?

Ever since the INEC and the ruling party seemed to have connived to subvert the peoples’ mandate through mass disenfranchisement, Rivers State has been in turmoil and many innocent souls have been lost in the process as well wanton destruction of properties.

In line with the character of those in the two groups, who like steering the ship of the state from outside, one may therefore not be surprised by the erroneous claims that the election was peaceful as lives so far cut shot because of the resistance to the manipulations and irregularities that characterized elections so far conducted in Rivers State means nothing to the Omehia group.

One still can not fathom if those in the media teams are truly informed about political events as they unfold on the heels of the national disgrace called the conduct of the 2007 general polls. It appears, they are only trying to be mischievous and play on the intelligence of Rivers people.

If not, how could an election so discredited both by President Olusegun Obasanjo, the INEC and the international community be adjudged by these seeming misguided political junkyard wolves parading themselves as the media and publicity gurus as being ''free and fair''.

The position of AC however,is that no credible elections took place in Rivers. So, the question that is bugging the minds of many is, from where did the Omehia group get their own information? If the results sheets were not being made available at the polling units, what was the PDP doing with result sheets if not to do what the party is widely suspected to have done- rigging.

''We feel that by now the Omehia Group should be bold enough to advise Sir Celestine Omehia our so called Governor elect to be man enough to collect the Supreme Court sermons instead of the hide and seek game he is playing with the court to actually determine if he is truly a candidate in the election he is claiming victorious or alternatively the body should be gathering their documents to defend their illegal mandate at the Electoral Tribunal that will soon be seating in the State for them to defend the so called highest votes given for the disputable victory of Omehia and Musa Yaradua instead of trying to falsified facts in a State that boost of very intelligent personalities'', AC said.

ENDS

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