The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has described as reckless the threat by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, that the APC will “capture” Ondo State and by extension the entire South West.

National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said this in a chat with reporters at the party’s National Secretariat, Abuja, yesterday.

Ologunagba said, “ I just feel I should have this conversation is to react to the reckless and irresponsible statement by the chairman of the All Progressive Congress, which was credited to him in Ondo State, wherein he said that the APC is set to capture Ondo and then use that as a gateway to capture Oyo and Osun states.

“And these are the statements that we have seen over the months, talking about totalitarianism and one party state in this country.

“If you look at the dictionary meaning of capture, and I just checked it and it says, to take by force or strategy, take prisoners.

“So what he’s saying that he’s going to take the South West State and its people as prisoners of war. So for us, it is troubling.

“But this is actually a warning. The people of South West has a very rich history, a people that are very strong willed, that are politically educated and they know what they want.

“And for anybody who is a student of history, will recognize clearly that the South West has always been a bastion for democratic right.”

He further said, “In the old Oyo empire, there are controls for the Oba, the Alaafin of Oyo that whenever he is acting away from the people, they can tell him to go and commit suicide as a control.

“So for anybody, Ganduje for that matter to come into Ondo State and say those reckless things, call for the attention of Nigerians and indeed international community that he is a threat to democracy.

“In 1983 you will recall, when the recklessness of the then NPN continue in this manner, and it is unfortunately, it looks like history is repeating itself, when they tried to impose Omoborowo as governor of Oyo State by rigging election, the consequences of that can again br traced to what brought that Republic to an end in 1983. We warning the APC, this is a warning directly to Ganduje.

“And so to Ganduje, he should be careful about South West, because he could be declared as a ‘personal non grata’ in the south west for these recklessness.

“The APC should know, and I’m sure some of the leaders APC recognize that and they should stay away from Ondo State.

“The election of November 16 in Ondo State is a different ball game entirely. The people of Ondo state are ready, they are set to vote the PDP and any attempt, haven regards to the history of Ondo people, you can’t cow them, you cannot suppress them from whatever they believe in.

“So recognizing that, the APC should watch it, and they should know that, we do not take threats and te idea of capture. We’ve never been captured, we are not prisoners.”

The PDP admonished the APC to allow a free, fair and credible process for the people to elect a governor of their choice.