The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised Nigerians to decide their destinies by collecting and using their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in 2019 elections to save Nigeria and its democracy.

National Chairman of the party, Mr Uche Secondus, gave the advice in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Ike Abonyi, on Tuesday in Abuja.

Secondus said that democracy, which PDP nurtured for 16 years had been “grossly undermined’’ by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration, in the last three years.

He said that Nigerians were anxiously looking forward to the opportunity to dispense with the ruling party.

Secondus said he sympathised with Nigerians “for finding themselves in horrible situation on a day they should be celebrating freedom and good governance, but were burying their innocent ones and groaning in avoidable hardship”.

“If democracy must survive in our country we must do away with APC, and Nigerians are ready and willing to do just that because they cherish democracy as the best form of government.

“Going by their poor record of performance in the last 36 months, and the determination of Nigerians to put the country in the right footing, this is the last Democracy Day this President will mark.’’

The chairman said that the agenda of the APC government now was to intimidate, harass and scare opponents to create a Police state with the aim of turning the country into one party.

He added that 2018 democracy day would be the last for the ruling party at the federal level going by the non-performance of the party.

According to him, next Democracy Day, which Nigerians and indeed, all lovers of democracy are anxiously looking forward to, will be the transition to real democracy which PDP is returning to give Nigeria.

Secondus called on the international community to show more than passing interest in the events leading to Nigeria’s general elections in 2019.

He alleged that APC’s rigging strategy had started through intimidation and harassment of political opponents.