Opposition slams ‘plan to use militants to rig polls’

MEND had announced, in a statement e-mailed to the media on Friday, that PDP rep resentatives met with its commanders in the early hours of the same day and aske d the militant group to join forces with other groups in the region to rig the 2011 polls in favour of the PDP.

Reacting to the claim, the AC said in a statement that the expose by MEND ”conf irms AC’s fears that unscrupulous politicians are behind the wave of violence in the Niger Delta, which has been costing Nigeria dearly in human lives and financial resources”.

“We commend MEND for showing – by rejecting the proposal for them to be used to sabotage the people’s right to free expression – that they are not campaigning for cheap and individual gains but to ensure better life for their impoverished people. Of course, we may not always agree with their style.

“We ask the group to go a step further by revealing the identity of those invol ved in the secret meeting, so that Nigerians will know who their real enemies are. Needless to say that such people are the real candidates for treason charges, not minding that they are the ones accusing opposition parties of holding clandest i ne meetings,” the opposition party said.

AC added: “It is also important for Nigerians to know those who will condemn ME ND by day and seek to enlist them for their dirty jobs by night; to show the dangerous strategy of the PDP federal government in exposing the lives of our soldiers to a great risk in the Niger Delta, even when an under-the-table effort is being made, allegedly by the same ruling party, to sabotage the gallan t efforts of these soldiers.”

The party said the modus operandi of the devilish politicians involves arming th ugs to help them rig elections, ”after which they dump the thugs who then use the arms bought for them by the politicians to terrorise the polity, resulting in mindless crimi nal acts such as kidnappings and attacks on oil facilities”.

It expressed shock that the PDP could talk to the militants not for the purpose of ensuring the restoration of peace in the Niger Delta but for the purpose of further disturbing the peace of the region and sabotaging the nation’s democracy, all be cause of the its do-or-die politics.

“We know it is not in the interest of the PDP for peace to prevail in the Niger Delta. But our party has always believed that there will be no peace in the Niger Delta until all the grievances of the people have been addressed in a fair and just ma nner. This remains our stand!” AC said In another development, the opposition party has condemned the decision of the police authorities to withdraw the police security aides of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

The party sought to link the withdrawal of the security aides to Abubakar’s rece nt criticism of the President Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration over its handling of the electoral reforms.

In a statement issued on Friday, AC described the action ”as a clear act of pol itical vendetta”, saying it is a throwback to the days of political vindictiveness as a tool of governance under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

“We had thought the administration of President Umaru Yar’Adua, based on its av owed commitment to the rule of law and due process, will toe a different line from its predecessor, but how wrong we are!’’ AC said.

The party said it had no scintilla of doubt that the withdrawal of the police ai des was a direct fallout of Atiku’s criticism of the administration’s electoral reform and absolute absence of governance.

“The truth is that the presidency, with nothing to show for two years in the sa ddle and with the people becoming disenchanted, is desperately seeking to silence the opposition as well as gag the dissidents within the ruling PDP. Welcome to another era of political vi ndictiveness!’’ it said.

AC called for the immediate restoration of all the withdrawn police aides of the former Vice President.