By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor, Ben Agande, and Olayinka Ajayi
Less than 48 hours after the Chief of Defense Staff, CDS, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh dismissed as untenable, rumours in some quarters of a possible coup d’etat in the country, the All Progressives Congress, APC yesterday called on the international community and Nigerians to prevail on President Goodluck Jonathan not to derail the country’s democracy.

The APC also warned of a plot to use soldiers to put Governor Kayode Fayemi, its candidate in today’s election in Ekiti State under house arrest.

Badeh affirmed the commitment of the Nigerian military to the defence of the nation’s democracy because, the military, he said, is an arm of democracy. He dismissed as untenable, rumours in some quarters of a possible coup d’etat in the country, affirming the commitment of the Nigerian military to defend democracy in its entirety.

Newly Elected National Chairman of APC Odigie-Oyegun at APC National Convention in Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.

Also, the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-.Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, yesterday asked the elites to avoid statements that could lead to violence if peace was to reign in the country.

Ihejirika spoke in Abuja at public presentation of The Pursuit of Providence, a Biography of Air Marshal Mohammed Umar, former Chief of Air Staff, written by Mr Madu Onuorah.
However, the APC at a news conference asked the international community and other Nigerians to intervene and save the country’s democracy following the alleged harassment of its governors by agents of the Federal Government.

The party made the declaration just as Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State gave details of how he was on Thursday threatened with gun shots by soldiers he said were ordered to specifically keep him out of the APC rally in Ekiti on that day. Amaechi said four vehicles were put on the runway of the Akure Airport to frustrate those who came for the APC rally in Ekiti from flying back.

Nigeria’s democracy threatened

The newly elected national chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun who led some of the national officers of the party, including the National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Governor Amaechi, Senator Bukola Saraki among others to the world press conference in Lagos which he said was called to “alert Nigerians and our international friends of the grave threat posed to our democracy and indeed the very survival of our nation by an increasingly-tyrannical federal government.”

Noting recent developments leading to today’s gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, Odigie-Oyegun said it was doubtful a free and fair contest would prevail given what he said was the militarisation of the state.

“The final electioneering campaign of our candidate in the Ekiti election, Gov. Kayode Fayemi, provided the perfect setting for the Jonathan-led administration to bare its fangs with a series of arbitrariness and unconstitutional acts that threaten the very fabric of our democracy.
“First, several APC Governors were prevented from attending the rally.

The helicopter that was to ferry Gov. Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State from Benin to Akure was denied permission to take off by the aviation authorities apparently acting on orders from above.“Then while the plane bearing Gov. Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, who is also the Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, was allowed to land at the Akure Airport, his convoy was stopped by soldiers at the border of Ondo and Ekiti state, and ordered to return to Akure by the leader of the troops, an army captain who said he was under orders not to allow him into Ado Ekiti and threatened to shoot him if he defied his orders.

“Gov. Amaechi was detained along the road in the bush for as long as it suited the soldiers before he was forced to return to Akure. While the Governor was being detained on the road, the convoys of the Minister of Police Affairs and the Minister of State for Defence sped past and were not stopped by the troops.

“Against this background, my party, the APC, doubts very seriously whether a free, fair, credible and transparent elections can be held in Ekiti on Saturday .

“Beyond the elections, we are concerned that the PDP-led federal government has grown so desperate to capture Ekiti State at all cost that it is willing to do anything, and I mean anything, to scuttle the electoral process and even threaten the very survival of our country,” he said.

Whlie alerting Nigerians to the alleged plans of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP led administration, Odigie-Oyegun further said:

“We call on our international partners to condemn this growing impunity by the ruling party and the government it controls at the centre. Actions have consequences, and whoever fails to condemn the acts of impunity being perpetrated by the central government will not have the moral right to condemn the reactions that such actions may elicit.

“We state clearly that our party will not accept the outcome of any election in Ekiti State that does not comply with the best practices. The people of Ekiti must be allowed to vote freely and without molestation for the candidates of their choice on Saturday, and the votes must not only be counted, but they must also count.”

Its a lie, Federal         Government
President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday asked the APC to do soul searching of itself instead of crying wolf where there was none.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati made this known while reacting to the call by APC on the international community to intervene and save the country’s democracy, which it said was being threatened by Jonathan.

Abati said, “it is absolutely wrong to accuse this administration of repression. If anything, this administration has been most tolerant of opposition and most respectful of everybody’s right of association. This accusation cannot stand at all.

”Where elections are concerned, it is a matter of public record that President Jonathan is committed to free and fair elections and the integrity of elections. This is in fact one of the major areas of achievements of his administration.

”On the Ekiti State election or any other elections, the Federal Government is committed to one man, one vote; one woman, one vote; and one youth, one vote which is President Jonathan’s concept.
”At the same time, the security agencies have an obligation to ensure that people who… would rather compromise the integrity of the process are not allowed to do so.
”Rather than cry wolf where there is none, it is the APC and its leaders that should embark on soul searching” he said.

He further said that the Jonathan administration remained committed to democracy and its principles.

NLC reacts

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has also described Thursday’s denial of access to Ekiti State against Governors Adams Oshiomhole and Rotimi Amaechi of Edo and Rivers States respectively ahead of today’s governorship election in Ekiti, saying it was the height of tyranny.

NLC in a statement by its President, Mr. Abdulwaheed Omar, also condemned the over militarization of Ekiti State by the government warning that it portended serious danger to voters participation in the election and a bad signal ahead of 2015 general elections.