“We Did Not Appoint Jega”, APC Tells PDP

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has responded to a request by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to explain its links with the chairman of the electoral body, reminding the ruling party that it did not appoint Professor Attahiru Jega.

In a telephone interview on Saturday, the spokesman for the APC, Mr Lai Mohammed, told Channels Television that “the PPD is acting like a party out of power”.

“The PDP is acting like a party in opposition.

“We did not appoint Jega. They appointed Jega and they were the ones that extolled Jega to high heavens, saying that all the electoral commissioners working with Jega have been very transparent.

“What has now happened between them?

“We have no relationship with Jega. If we believe that Jega should not be fired, it is simply because we believe that elections should be credible.

“Because, if you fire Jega now, and you bring another person, it is likely that the new person will say, ‘give me more time for me to organise election’,” Mr Mohammed said defending the party’s demand that Jega should not be fired.

According to him, the only reason the APC was insisting that Jega should not be fired was because the party could not afford to witness another date shift.

“Clearly, the PDP and President Jonathan are terrified of this elections and they are looking for every opportunity to postpone this elections again. That is the only problem we have,” he said.

Earlier on Saturday, a spokesman for the PDP, Mr Olisa Metuh, asked the  APC to explain to Nigerians the links between it and the Chairman of the electoral body, Professor Attahiru Jega, which informs and propels its feverish fixation and huge interest in his stay in office. ( Read that here )

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh in a statement on Saturday said it was more than curious that the APC had continued to fabricate stories and show undue interest on Professor Jega.

Mr Metuh said that such undue interest raise a lot of questions for the opposition and the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The electoral commission had on February 7, postponed the elections from February 14 and 28 to march 28 and April 11, saying it took the decision after wide-reaching consultations.