Presidential Election: PDP Denies Reaching Any Deal With Peace Committee

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said its meeting with the National Peace Committee did not produce any agreement that would prevent the party from challenging the outcome of the February 23 presidential election in court.

Addressing journalists on Friday, PDP National Chairman Uche Secondus said the party remained determined to seek legal redress over the results of the election.

The National Peace Committee, chaired by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, had met with PDP leaders in an effort to reduce political tension following the declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari as winner of the election.

Secondus said the committee did not ask the PDP to abandon its legal challenge, adding that the party believed lasting peace could only be achieved when allegations of electoral injustice were properly addressed.

“There was no request for any condition. We made it clear to the committee that unless the injustices are addressed, there can be no meaningful peace,” he said.

Secondus insisted that the PDP would proceed to court and present evidence it believed would support its claims regarding irregularities during the election.

“We will go to court. Nobody will stop us from going to court. We will present the facts before the court, and we believe justice will be done,” he said.

The PDP chairman also criticised the conduct of the election, alleging that violence, voter intimidation and the involvement of security personnel affected voting in some parts of the country.

He particularly expressed concern about reports of deaths during the election, claiming that many of the incidents occurred in the South-South.

Secondus alleged that the deployment of the military in parts of the South-South and South-East discouraged some voters from participating in the election.

According to him, the election could have been conducted peacefully without what he described as the excessive involvement of military personnel.

He also questioned the level of voter turnout recorded in some states, arguing that figures from certain northern states appeared unusually high when compared with parts of the South.

Secondus claimed that there were cases of non-compliance with the use of smart card readers in some areas and said such allegations would form part of the PDP’s legal challenge.

The PDP chairman further accused the Federal Government of attempting to intimidate opposition figures following the election.

He alleged that some prominent opposition members were being monitored and could face restrictions on travelling outside the country.

Secondus urged journalists, civil society organisations and other democratic institutions to remain vigilant and protect the country’s democratic process.

He also appealed to members of the armed forces involved in election duties to remain professional and politically neutral.

According to him, security personnel should remember that elections are civil exercises and that they are not at war with any section of the country.

The PDP maintained that while it supported peace and stability, it would continue to pursue what it described as legitimate grievances through the courts.