- PDP: Tinubu Planning To Inject Funds Into APC In Edo To Buy Votes…
- APC: It’s PDP’s Fabrication Because We Exposed Obaseki’s Plan To Borrow …
By Gbenga Abulude (Politics and General desk)
Less than five days to the Edo governorship election, both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress(APC) are back again to the trenches, exchanging fiery salvos.
The PDP Campaign Council in Edo State Monday alleged that a National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was planning to inject about N300 million from local councils in Lagos State into the APC campaign in Edo state for alleged vote buying in the September 19 Edo state governorship election.
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Mr Chris Nehikhare of the PDP Campaign Council in a statement claimed its party has privileged information that local councils in Lagos have been ordered to contribute N15 million each as contribution to the APC in in Edo state.
But in a swift reaction, the Chairman of the APC Media Campaign Council in Edo state, Mr. John Mayaki said the story was not only untrue and a fabrication but also very laughable. While faulting his PDP counterpart, Mayaki said the Edo sate chapter PDP spokesman should go and take tutorials on how to undertake information management for a political party.
According to Mayaki the PDP was only fabricating lies as a response to APC’s revelations about Edo state governor’s plan to borrow and release money for the purpose of the September 19 governorship election. ” I think their claim is due to our earlier exposure on Obaseki’s order to council chairmen to release the sum of N1.7 million to 18 local government Electoral Officers (EOs)’, Mayaki quipped.
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Observers say this verbal war of attrition is not unexpected as accusations and counter accusations have appear to have become the normal in Edo state politics of late. The PDP statement is coming on the heels of an accusation raised by the APC against the PDP and the state governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki.
Recall that about ten days, the APC had accused Governor Obaseki of allegedly obtaining approval from a faction of the State Assembly to borrow N1.5bn from commercial banks for alleged vote buying.
The APC in a statement had also alleged that Governor Nyesom Wike-led PDP campaign council had temporarily relocated to Benin to perfect the PDP’s vote-buying plans in Edo.
These accusations and counter accusations have suddenly become the trend by both parties ahead of the September-19 Edo election.
While accusing the APC of planning to raise funds from Tinubu, Nehikhare said: “We are once again drawing the attention of the world and all lovers of democracy to the glaring fact that the APC is attempting to rig the Edo 2020 governorship election scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2020, by mobilising N300 million from Lagos State local councils, each council contributing N15 million to execute the sinister plan
“It is regrettable and disturbing that at a time when Lagosians are suffering from the vagaries of biting economic hardship superintendent by the APC government’s policies, the party is deploying Lagos State’s resources to subvert the will of Edo People.”
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But in his reaction, Mr Mayaki said the story was not only untrue and malicious but also very laughable. While faulting his PDP counterpart, Mayaki said the Edo sate chapter PDP spokesman should go and take tutorials on how to undertake information management for a political party.
He said; “The PDP is renowned countrywide for its matchless fabrications. They are masters of falsehood, but whenever Nehikhare gets excited and tries to fabricate one, he overdoes it. It is glaring that the man did not know what he was saying. He should meet Chief Dan Orbih, his mentor, to teach him the art.
“Edo people know that APC has no interest in dishonest politics. What do we stand to gain from buying votes that the people have already promised us? Why would Lagos local government councils raise that kind of money for us? Don’t they have anything to do with the money in Lagos? If Lagos went about furnishing APC states with that kind of outrageous sum, what will they use to develop themselves? I think their claim is due to our earlier exposure on Obaseki’s order to council chairmen to release the sum of N1.7 million to 18 local government Electoral Officers (EOs),” he said.
