"TINUBU, WE KNOW THIS POLITICAL GAME BETTER THAN YOU!" — PDP SENDS STRONG MESSAGE AHEAD OF 2027

We are a legacy party. We know the game very, very well. We are masters of the game. Seriously. If you wanted to go and say you want to promote violence and wanted to answer by violence, it can be done. But we don't want to do that. Because it's not good for Nigeria. It's not healthy for Nigeria. It's not the way for Nigeria. Responsible leadership means president be also head of state. And the third thing is that it's the commander-in-chief. ...that less than 28% of registered voters turned out at the last presidential election. Viewed through an objective lens, the president won with less than 40% of the votes cast by less than 28%, about 8.8 million votes out of 93.4 million registered voters in Nigeria. That is a super minority and a mandate resting on so thin a base carries a serious legitimacy deficit. It turned out, if it turned out, if the turnout was that low in 2023, without the anomalies we are witnessing today, we can only imagine how much worse the coming elections will fare. Welcome you to this very important press conference that our party is holding today. that is agitating the minds of all Nigerians today is, now that the country is boiling, can we reduce the temperature? Nigeria, in its more than 60 years of independent existence, has witnessed many events that history has recorded as momentous, both for good and for bad reasons. These events were not self-activated. They were human ideations subjected to strenuous planning and followed by execution, resulting in the events that trailed. the happenings in the country. Interestingly, elections have been at the center of most of the more dramatic and bloody events in our nation's history. A little reminiscence of our political history will help us recall the imminent danger lurking on the road that the current ruling APC leadership is forcing the nation to travel. In the first republic, Operation Wetie was was the inevitable result of the aspiration of the opposition and the ruling parties in general crisis in the opposition political parties, just like what is happening today The crisis continued unabated and eventually that republic caved in. In the second republic, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the governing party refusing to learn from its predecessor and smarting from its hair's breadth survival through the judiciary in the landmark 12-3 debacle went all out to decimate the opposition. It deployed orthodox and unorthodox methods to attain what is christened a moonslide victory, using, as it were, the power of coercion to enthrone leaders in opposition strongholds The judiciary was complicit, giving judgments that did not reflect the reality of the polls Eventually, that republic collapsed. We have taken the trouble of convoking this press conference and of drawing on our history as a reference point Because we believe in the veracity of the postulation of the Spanish-American philosopher, George Santayana, and I quote, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it Today, the governing party, the All Progressive Congress and the presidency led by a pseudo-democrat, are speeding down the infamous lane that leads to democratic destruction in this country The lens of constriction of the political space Violence against the opposition, the buying and co-optation of opposition leaders, and the judicialization of Nigerian politics History, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, both local and foreign, has shown that these lands lead to only one destination and that is the death of democracy and the birth of full authoritarian rule, which subjugates the people and destroys the nation The obvious question then is... Is this what the Tinubu administration wants for this country, after everything that this country has done to him and his co-travelers? In the entire political history of our country, never have Nigerians been more uncertain of the processes, institutions, and general character of the forthcoming election. This can be gleaned from Yaga Africa's third national voting intentions survey, which was released on the 7th of October, 2026. While 84% of Nigerians say they are likely or very likely to vote, 61% say fear of violence could keep them away from the polls. Only 34% are confident that INEC will conduct credible elections, down from 45% in the two previous rounds, while a staggering 63% have little or no confidence that the judiciary will resolve electoral disputes fairly, raising to 81% in the South. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, the results are damning in all critical aspects. Ordinarily, they would have triggered the government to take definite steps to de-escalate the situation and build confidence in the minds of Nigerian voters. This should have become a top priority, considering that less than 28 percent of registered voters turned out at the last presidential election. Viewed through an objective lens, The president won with less than 40 percent of the votes cast by less than 28 percent, about 8.8 million votes out of 93.4 million registered voters in Nigeria. That is a super minority and a mandate resting on so thin a base carries a serious legitimacy deficit. It turned out, if it turned out, if the turnout was that low in 2023, Without the anomalies we are witnessing today, we can only imagine how much worse the coming elections will fare. Specifically, we condemn the unabating multisystem attacks on the opposition. Mr. Peter Obi and NDC supporters have so far repeated attacks in the different states, the most recent in Delta State. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and ADC rallies, convoys have had to resist attempts to prevent them from entering Sokoto. and Kebbi states and have been denied facilities for their campaigns. Mr. Omoyele Sowore was seriously attacked and injured in Ekiti state. In all these cases the fingers point directly at the suspected APC operatives who are obviously buoyed by President Tinubus and I quote all is fair in politics as in war mantra. These towns have obviously agreed with the president. That political victory is not served a la carte, but must be grabbed, snatched and run away with. That is not how to play politics in a civilized society like our own. Distinguished, ladies and gentlemen, another trick from the APC playbook in the judicialization of politics, wherein the courts are used to erect hurdles on the path of the opposition and to remove the institutionalized uncertainty that a keenly contested election generates. How else can one explain the numerous cases and judgments that led to the recognition, deregistration, and destabilization of opposition parties? All opposition parties have had their share of this anomaly, where the judiciary is used to answer political questions in a way and manner that favors the ruling party. This is done in a brazen and shameless manner that the beneficiaries of the opposition are non-supporters of the governing APC, championing an anti-democratic government called the Rainbow Coalition. Nigerians should be allowed to freely choose their leaders at all levels, not the current situation where public officials threaten voters to leave their jurisdiction if they do not want to vote for the APC. This threat has been widespread across the country and some have now made their threat real by unleashing violence against the opposition elements. This is a very ugly development in our polity that undermines democratic consolidation and paves the way for the enthronement of authoritarian authoritarian rule. It is evident that President Tinubu and the APC are not ready for competitive elections, which is why they are deploying every tactic in and out of the book to ground every opposition political party. We draw the attention of the president, his handlers, INEC and the security agencies to the fact that they can force a result on the people but they cannot compel the country to legitimize their act. As we've said before and it bears repeating here, there are two two elections coming up. The first is for the heart of the country. and the second for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The President and his people are clearly working only for the latter, which is the office of the President and not the former, which is winning the hearts of Nigerians. Our question therefore is what will it profit their party and candidates if they force a win at the elections but completely lose the country and derail democracy. The temperature can still be reduced and the responsibility lies squarely with those who hold power We, in the PDP, therefore, quite unequivocally demand that, one, President Tinubu should publicly and unequivocally condemn political violence and that all persons implicated in attacks on opposition candidates and supporters, whatever their party, be investigated and prosecuted forthwith. Two, the security agencies, through the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security, 3. Publish a security plan for the elections and guarantee the safety of all candidates, rallies and voters, irrespective of which political party they belong to. 3. Governments at all levels should stop denying opposition parties access to public facilities for their campaigns and public officials should cease from threatening voters forthwith. Four, enough to sufficiently address the many discrepancies and false inclusions noticed on the voter's register. Five, and this is very important, the judiciary should deliver justice according to law, not according to the whims and caprices of the executives. We urge Nigerians to remain steadfast in the defense of democracy. We must not lift our hands up in surrender. Rather, we must continue to demand accountability. Responsible leadership and the dividends of democracy, 2027 offers for a great opportunity for all Nigerians. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, members of the 4th estate of the RM, I now once again come back to asking that question, can we reduce the temperature in this country so that this country and our democracy can survive? Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Presented in Nigeria's political history. And that is why we are saying the country is boiling. The temperature is very, very high. We must know that Nigeria is bigger than anybody and the ambition of any individual. We must appreciate that this country must survive for you to become whatever you want to become. Whether you want to be a president, you want to be a governor, you want to be a member of national assembly or an ordinary councillor in your ward, you must have a country first. And so whatever we are going to do, directly or indirectly, we must make sure that the temperature is reduced so that Nigeria survives, because with an estimated population of about 250 million, God forbid, if the temperature is not brought down and crisis erupts, God forbid again, which country in the world will take influx from Nigerians? So that is why we are demanding for responsible leadership. And that is why we are saying the security agencies and INEC must ensure that there is a level playing ground. Power belongs to God. Who will become president or who will become a governor has been ordained by God even before the beginning of time. So it is not an act of desperation that will make people win elections. It is not an act of intimidation, killing people, attacking people, intimidating people, blackmailing people that will make you win. You may win at the end of the day, but it may end up being a pyrrhic victory. You win. But you have not won the soul of the people. And then at the end of the day, you discover that what you are doing may well end up to be an exercise in futility. Mmm. Yes, I hope I've answered your question. By emphasizing that the framers of our constitution assigned to the president of the nation three important assignments. It's not merely the president of Nigeria, which the way they are doing now, just remember as if they are the president, and that's it. But the president is also the head of state. And the head of state is the father of the nation. Anything that will bring this nation together, you will not be part of it. Even if it will benefit the APC, a father of the nation should arise and arrest it. It's extremely important. And therefore, Mr. Chairman is appealing to the president to be a statesman at this point in time. Not just purely a politician to grab power and move. If you grab power in Nigeria and it's in crisis, what do you benefit? It's extremely important that the health, security, integrity, stability, and goodness of Nigerian people is maintained. This is why we are appealing. Not because we are afraid. Because people around in the PDP, we are a legacy party. We know the game very, very well. We are masters of the game. Seriously. If you wanted to go and say you want to promote violence and wanted to answer by violence, It can be done, but we don't want to do that because it's not good for Nigeria. It's not healthy for Nigeria. It's not the way for Nigeria. Responsible leadership means president be also head of state. And the third thing is that it's the commander-in-chief. Well, I hope... Thank you. And I'd like something to do with it. The Founding Fathers. Thank you very much. Any other question? I think that just like the responsibility to act, the primary responsibility of government is to protect lives and property. If you see, as a father called in Nigeria, he said it to most and he lived by it indeed. Now, you can compare that.