The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed allegations of forgery related to its primary election guidelines. The party insisted that the claims were false and meant to create unnecessary controversy.
In a statement released on Sunday, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, described the reports as misleading. He alleged that the accusations were fueled by individuals linked to the All Progressives Congress (APC), who were determined to damage the PDP’s reputation and internal procedures.
The controversy follows reports that certain PDP leaders and officials were invited by the police for questioning regarding alleged forgery of party documents. Two national newspapers (not The PUNCH) published the story, suggesting that the party’s primary election guidelines may have been tampered with.
Ologunagba, however, rejected these claims, stating that the party’s guidelines remained unchanged and had not been altered in any way. He called the allegations a deliberate attempt to discredit the party.
“The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party has been drawn to sensational and misleading reports in a section of the media suggesting that its primary election guidelines have allegedly been compromised by forgery.
“The PDP states in clear and unequivocal terms that its primary election guidelines, as approved by the party, have not been compromised by forgery in any way, contrary to the claims being peddled in these reports.”
The PDP further alleged that the reports were part of a broader plan by certain individuals within the APC to create division within the party. The statement noted that these individuals, allegedly backed by a top APC official, were seeking to weaken the opposition and establish a dominant one-party system in Nigeria.
The party also accused these political actors of stirring conflicts in PDP chapters and using law enforcement agencies to harass members and officials.
“Our party is appalled by the scandalous and reprehensible attempt by these desperate individuals to drag the police and a magistrate’s court in Abuja into the party’s internal affairs, despite rulings from various higher courts, including the Supreme Court, which have established that matters concerning the nomination of candidates for elections are strictly internal affairs of political parties, over which the courts have no jurisdiction.”
Despite these allegations, the PDP reassured its members and supporters that it remains firm and undeterred. The party stated that it would continue to resist efforts aimed at destabilizing it or suppressing opposition voices in Nigeria’s democracy.
