APC can’t win presidential election –Okocha

 
By Daniel Abia / Snr Correspondent P/Harcourt

Former President of Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. OCJ Okocha, has said that despite the crowd appeal the major opposition political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not have what it takes to win the presidential election on March 28.
Okocha said that elections were not won by adorning the streets with posters and billboards but by entrenching the principles of democracy, which he said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had done in the past 16 years.
Speaking on the political violence in Rivers State and across the country, the ex-NBA boss expressed disappointment that despite the peace accord signed by all the presidential candidates in Abuja and the governorship candidates in all the states, violence was still prevalent prior to the actual elections.
“I will want to hope that the accord signed by the presidential candidates at Abuja and the one signed by three of the leading gubernatorial candidates in Rivers State will work. These are all responsible citizens of Nigeria. They are citizens who have reached the level of being nominated by political parties to represent them at various elections throughout the land in the presidential election on March 28 and the next one on April 11 for the gubernatorial and House of Assembly seats.
“I want to hope that those who signed that accord will be responsible enough to insist that not only themselves but indeed their followers try as much as they can to allow peace to reign.

We want peace in Rivers State and in Nigeria.”
On APC’s consistent accusations that PDP is the mastermind of all the political violence in Rivers State, Okocha said: “I get alarmed when I hear various reports of untoward happenings; most especially I get alarmed by orchestrated and intensive shout by APC and its members.
“Most of the things we hear, I see them as irresponsible allegations. You don’t just wake up and accuse your opponent of doing this havoc or that one without any evidence. I want to understand that they know that these are issues that touch so much on law and order. If they have any evidence, they should furnish the security agencies so that investigation can be properly done. This will make a way for those who are responsible for such crimes to be brought to book at the earliest opportunity. I think that all of us need to act responsibly particularly at this point of our country’s development”.
On the attack at the APC rally in Okrika, Okocha said: “This is totally regrettable that the incident that occurred in Okrika happened. As I said earlier, we need to conduct this election with decorum and allow the various candidates to articulate the opportunities available to them. I believe that in a democratic society people should be free to associate with others and should be able to go anywhere to preach the message of their political parties.
“I am not happy about what happened at Okrika. Having said that, let me come to this issue of people making irresponsible and unguarded statements. At a time I saw on networks that the First Lady was bereaved of her closed female political associates in Bayelsa State who died in an auto crash. I understand that only one woman escaped from that inferno with serious burns. Evans Bipi had issued a statement that he was not in Okrika on the day in question.
“Of course, nobody said he or she saw Chief Nyesom Ezebunwo Wike there. Again, this is irresponsible statement for anybody to make. No matter how badly anybody may feel about that unfortunate incident at Okrika, let us also understand that these are issues of law and order and it gives police the opportunity to unearth the culprits.
“I have joined some PDP rallies because I strongly believe in the candidature of Nyesom Wike with some of my colleagues and I know that the PDP rallies were attacked. The most vivid is the one of Abua/Odual where gunshots were fired. These are the things we should take to the law enforcement agencies rather than take the law into our hands and let them have a free hand to investigate and eventually bring the culprits to book”.
He, however, commended the APC for its confidence that winning the presidential election was a done deal. “We have to commend them for having that confidence of winning a general election in Nigeria particularly the presidential election. But I think they are daydreaming.
“APC is not on ground in this country. True, they have access to information dissemination machines like newspapers propagating their dreams. APC is a party that was just formed last year. It is not on ground particularly in Rivers State. You see their billboards and posters everywhere. The point is that all of them in the so-called APC today were all PDP members. PDP is well spread because it has been on ground and is still on ground.