Delta State, Nigeria – The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State has dismissed recent allegations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) regarding the recruitment of ad hoc staff by the Delta State Independent Electoral Commission (DSIEC). The APC had claimed that DSIEC recruited and trained PDP members for the upcoming July 13th local government elections, a claim the PDP describes as baseless and a typical tactic by the APC to distract from their own lack of preparedness.
In a strongly worded statement, the PDP characterized the APC’s accusations as a “smokescreen” used by a political party unable to conduct a proper campaign. The PDP accused the APC of resorting to “spurious allegations” and criticized the medium that published the report for what it termed an “unethical” approach, failing to balance its story by engaging with PDP officials.
The PDP highlighted that similar allegations by the APC in previous elections were proven false and dismissed. They challenged the APC and the reporting medium to provide concrete evidence to support their claims. The PDP emphasized that the DSIEC has a history of conducting elections without such issues and questioned why it would change its procedures now.
The statement also took aim at the APC’s internal disarray, describing it as a party “without shape or form” in Delta State, quoting Chinua Achebe’s words, “things have fallen apart and the centre can no longer hold.” The PDP asserted that the APC’s disorganized state and lack of visible campaign efforts were the real reasons behind their attempt to undermine the election process.
The PDP reiterated its commitment to cooperating with DSIEC to ensure credible local government elections and noted that it was actively engaged in electioneering campaigns across the state. They dismissed the APC’s allegations as attempts to frustrate the electoral process and asserted their confidence in winning the support of the Delta electorate.
The PDP concluded by affirming its position as the dominant political force in Delta State, vowing to remain focused on its campaign and undeterred by the APC’s “silly pranks.”
