National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince UcheSecondus, has commended the United States and the United Kingdom for standing up for democracy through their strong cautionary statement that would encourage and enhance free and fair election in Nigeria.

Prince Secondus said that the position of the two nations is a huge boost for the sustenance of democracy in Nigeria “given the rigging body language being displayed by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the general election.

But the PDP National Chairman in a statement from his media office signed by Ike Abonyi, said they should go further in their threat and order sanctions against this government because the rigging has already started with the brazen attempt to force out the Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen and install a ‘friendly and amenable’ person that would help them manipulate the electoral process.

Prince Secondus said that “the illegal action of the government under the watch of President MuhammaduBuhari and the Attorney General of the Federation MallamAbubakarMalami SAN, to intimidate, harass and throw away Justice Onnoghen is a foundation for election rigging.”

“Because of their plot to manipulate the electoral process and being unable to face the legal consequences of such action from an independent judiciary, they have gone ahead brazenly to malign and discredit the Judiciary,” he said.

Secondus said that the global democratic watchers like US and the U.K. should take copious interest in a government that goes out to destroy other arms of government on their way to destroying all ingredients of democracy.

He recalled the 2016 breaking in of the homes of judges and justices at the dead of the night and the August 8, 2018 attempt to hijack the legislature by using security operatives to block the gates of the National Assembly and says that all are signs to cage democratic process in the country.

The PDP National Chairman urged the US and UK not to stay and watch Nigeria’s democracy being destroyed by a government that is not disposed to democratic norms.

“The signs are apparent of the anti-democratic posture of this government, non-observance of the rule of law, disregard to court orders and the limiting of free speeches and arbitrary use of security agents to concoct and frame up perceived enemies,” he said.

Secondus said that election rigging is not limited to Election Day activities only pointing out that the APC has already set the machinery in motion with all efforts to weaken and intimidate critical players.

He said that in the coming days ahead of the election, special attention should be paid to the activities of some APC stakeholders in Abuja, Lagos and Kaduna, “including two serving ministers who are part of the nefarious APC rigging machine.”