PDP denies deployment of 36,000 soldiers for Ekiti governorship poll

THE Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the allegation by the state Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Jide Awe, that 36,000 soldiers were deployed to the state during the June 21, 2014 governorship election as not only preposterous, but a lie from the pit of hell.

In a statement by the State Publicity Secretary, Jackson Adebayo, in Ado-Ekiti yesterday, the PDP said the people of Ekiti have always known APC leaders to be men whose words cannot be trusted, but berated Awe for taking lying to the highest level.

The pertinent questions are many and we want Awe to just answer some and he can be assisted by his co-liars or any other willing person. What is the strength of the Nigerian Army that such a huge number of soldiers would be deployed in Ekiti alone?
“The said number of soldiers, how did they come in? Where were they camped? Where were they deployed? We are asking these questions because Ekiti is not a coastal state to say they came in through the seas. Ekiti has no rail lines to say hundreds of train coaches brought them in.
“Also, Ekiti has no airstrip to say transport planes of the Nigerian Air Force conveyed them to our dear state. Awe must also provide the army formations from which the soldiers were brought to Ekiti.

This, we think will be easy for him now that APC controls the centre and he can easily contact the Minister of Defence and Army authorities for answer.
“To the best of our knowledge, the few soldiers that came were from the Nigerian Army Brigade in nearby Ondo State and we are sure that the strength of that brigade is not up to 10,000 men and if Awe can draw 36,000 soldiers out of 10,000 he qualifies to have performed the best miracle of his generation.

The few soldiers that were deployed only helped in maintaining law and order and never interfered with the electoral process. This was attested to by foreign observers and the United States Department of State that issued a statement on the election describing it as free, fair and credible.

We don’t want to take issue with Awe and his lying cohorts, as we know Nigerians and the people of Ekiti are not dummies or dumb heads and are people of sound minds who can discern truth from falsehood. But this time around, Awe has badly exposed the flanks of the APC which no right-thinking person will never believe.
“Our advice to the Maj-Gen. Adeniyi Oyebade-led panel is to first authenticate if Awe and others are witnesses of truth. Oyebade and Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai are soldiers and they know about logistics and deployment of soldiers and from the outset should know that Awe is a super lie fabricator,” he said.

Adebayo added that his party won the election in free and fair manner and that the APC should stop engaging in fruitless academic exercise.
“We know that apart from lying, APC’s next gift is to always rubbish any election or event that does not go their way. When soldiers were deployed in Edo election, as long as the APC won, nothing was wrong. Adams Oshiomhole even went to thank President Goodluck Jonathan for ensuring a credible poll,” he added.

The party spokesman noted that the PDP has always been and would be the choice of Ekiti people.