The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday threatened to withdraw from peace accord it signed with other political parties following comments by Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state that any foreigners who may interfere in Nigeria’s electoral process would be returned in “body bag”.
El-Rufai while appearing on NTA’s Tuesday Live programme, and speaking on the recent statements by the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union to sanction those that may interfere in the coming election, said: “Those that are calling for anyone to come and intervene in Nigeria, we are waiting for the person that would come and intervene, they would go back in body bags.”
But addressing a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday over the matter, Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary and Director, Media & Publicity PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, said the party considered that the governor’s remark as directly inimical to a peaceful, free and fair election.
He stated that the PDP is therefore left with no option than to consider a review of its signatory in the national peace accord if no action is immediately taken to curb this trend.
Ologbodiyan added: “Nigerians are still in a shock over comments by the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, who declared on national television that members of the global democratic institutions that are working for a peaceful election in Nigeria will return to their countries in body bags. What a threat?
“We call on the international community to immediately impose a travel ban on el-Rufai for this inciting comment against peaceful elections in our country.”
Okay Nigeria recalls that in December, President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, joined flagbearers of other parties to commit to peace in the elections.
