THE ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appeared to have set machinery in motion for the clean sweep of Bayelsa and Kogi states in the forthcomig elections as well as Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states in the planned rerun elections in the two states.
But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South-South Elders Coaltion for Justice has also raised the alarm over what it termed as the desperation of the APC to capture the South-South at all costs.
Sources close to the APC told the Sunday Tribune that a strategy team set up by the party had recently submitted its report with clear recommendations on the need to clean the states believed to be strategic to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The strategy team according to the document submitted to the party, which sources said had provided details of steps to be taken, including security measures and handling of local and international election observers had recommended that unds be provided for strategic management of local and international election observers whose reports would be favourable to the ruling party.
The team recommended that Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Bayelsa cannot be allowed to remain in the hands of the PDP but added that while elections and the plot to take over the states will not come without “incidences” given the determination of Governors Nyesom Wike, Seriake Dickson and Udom Emmanuel to deliever to the PDP, the APC should do all it has to capture the states.
The team also recommended the use of some PDP members to commit anti-party activities against their party to ensure victory for the APC.
The report advised the APC to ensure that a former governor from the South-South who is now a leading member of the APC is allowed to handle the ex-militants in the region of South-South since he already has good knowledge of the workings of the area.
As for Kogi, the report indicated that the state has been a PDP state for a long time but added that the APC has made in roads into the state with the last election.
It stated that the state must be taken away from the PDP in order to complete a clean sweep of the North-Central states.
The strategy team also recommended that “the unpaid salary issue in the state should be used against the incumbent government,” while one government agency is to be asked to swing into action to get some key members of the opposition party into submission.
“The party should decide whether it is ready to win the polls using all means and resources available to it and prepare for the battle to follow or allow itself to be defeated and head for the court as a loser, which will be damaging to the fortunes of the party ahead 2019. These states are strategically important to the success of the party for the subsequent elections especially in the oil producing states,” the report indicated.
Nigerian Tribune
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