PDP jittery over President’s directive

President Muhammadu Buhari’s warning that ballot box snatchers would be doing so at the risk of their lives during the rescheduled elections has unsettled the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Presidency concluded yesterday.

It said that the opposition party is jittery over the President’s directive to security agencies to deal with anybody that attempts to snatch ballot box during the forthcoming elections.

Reiterating that anyone who dares to snatch ballot box during the elections will be doing it for the last time, the Presidency said that it should be seen as a strong message against the long history of savagery associated with elections.

Speaking with reporters at the State House, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, recalled how innocent voters lost their lives during ballot box snatching by armed thugs in some parts of the country.

He said the President had the safety and security of Nigerians uppermost in mind before he made the comment, and should be praised rather than criticised for issuing this stern warning to potential ballot box snatchers.

Shehu also expressed concern about those attacking the President’s comment, and their worry over the fate of anyone caught snatching ballot boxes.

He said: “This sounds like members of the opposition, specifically the PDP, which has perfected plans to rig the elections and to snatch ballot boxes.

“They can see that President Buhari is not prepared to tolerate their antics this time around, and they are afraid. They have shown their intent.”

Shehu noted that no one has anything to fear from the President’s comments “if their conscience and intentions were clear.”

He said: “Let’s just have free and fair elections and no one need worry about anything.  Snatching ballot boxes often entails putting the lives of innocent Nigerians at risk. About 10 years ago, evidence was brought before an election tribunal from one of the states in Northcentral of the gruesome killing of 26 prospective voters by ballot box snatchers.

“Their modus operandi is well known. They storm election venues in commando style, overwhelm the law-enforcement agents and seize ballot boxes leaving a trail of death and injury.

“Anyone who dares to put the lives of innocent citizens at risk in their desperation to rig elections must be prepared for the possibility of losing their own lives because our security agents will certainly not stand by, clap for them and watch them kill and maim.”