Kogi/Bayelsa polls: You lost, accept defeat – Presidency mocks PDP

The presidency has reacted to the allegation of violence and manipulation of results during last Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi and Bayelsa states, which saw the return of Kogi’s incumbent governor, Yahaya Bello of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the emergence of the party’s candidate, David Lyon as governor elect in Bayelsa.

Both elections, particularly Kogi had witnessed incidents of thuggery, ballot box snatching and gun violence, leading to the death of a number of people.

The People Democratic Party had rejected the results and accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of conniving with the APC and security agencies to subvert the will of the people.

However, the presidency in a statement late Monday, asked the opposition to stop complaining and accept defeat with grace.

The presidency said fabrication of result can only be associated with the PDP, noting that the party only accepts the outcome of an election when it favours it.

“Predictably, we have seen the accusation of fabricated results from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, the PDP. Yet, the only fabrication is PDP’s conduct,” the presidency said in a statement.

“It has now become standard procedure for the party to challenge any poll that does not return its candidates. An Election is good when the PDP wins. The opposite is the case if any party other than the PDP wins.

“Democracy is not only about who wins or who loses, but also about the process. In disparaging every unfavourable result, they disgrace themselves by casting aspersion on the entire system.

“The February 2019 election saw the loss of five All Progressives Congress, APC governors. The government accepted the results. In doing so, we realised that we did not win the argument in those contests, and so we didn’t win enough votes.

“We retired to assess what went wrong: were we responsive enough to the electorate’s needs and priorities? How can we improve on speaking to the nation’s hopes? We got ready and prepared ourselves well for the next contest. The result is a healthier, more rigorous election.

“In rejecting the results as PDP has done, this reflection does not happen. Instead, the electorate gets mudslinging. Improvement is not sought, but cries of victimization; this is not an atmosphere in which democratic debate can thrive.

“The Opposition strategy of attacking the electoral commission, security agencies, government at the centre and the person of President Muhammadu Buhari after each election loss is antithetical to healthy democratic norms.

“Candidates and parties, especially those that have lost, are not told to examine their campaign tactics and strategies with a view to improving their chances for the next election. The result of not doing this is a loss for the electorate and for the parties concerned.

“We call on APC supporters to show dignity in victory, and for all Nigerians to remain peaceful in the wake of these elections. We call on PDP to learn to be democrats. We must now come together to build a brighter future for Nigeria.”