Atiku accuses Tinubu, APC of mopping-up cash for vote-buying

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Bola Tinubu of large scale mopping up of cash to bribe voters, ahead of the February 25th election.

“Tinubu has history of appropriating public assets,” adding that “What Tinubu has done in Lagos is state capture. He appropriated everything to himself including but not limited to cemeteries.”

The PDP flag bearer expressed the optimism that the hopelessness and anguish brought upon the nation by the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration will be a thing of the past when Atiku Abubakar assumes office as President come May 29, 2023.

He decried the excruciating pain and distress being faced by Nigerians arising from their inability to access the new Naira notes occasioned by the reported nefarious activities of corrupt APC leaders who are compromising the system to intercept and hoard the new bank notes for their selfish vote-buying plans ahead of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.

He also urged that Central Bank of Nigeria to provide more Mobile Banks in Rural Areas, to reduce the excruciating difficulties Nigerians are facing to access cash

In a statement by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunabga, the party noted that “Nigerians recall the widely-applauded patriotic intervention by Atiku Abubakar that led to the extension of the initial cash swap deadline; an accomplishment which not only demonstrates Atiku Abubakar’s commitment to the wellbeing of Nigerians but also his experience, capacity and integrity to stand for the people and get the system to work for the public good.

Read also: 2023 polls: Is APC unravelling?

“Our party is however, saddened that the cash crunch had persisted due to the sabotage of corrupt APC leaders, including the APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who are alleged to have masterminded the intercepting and hoarding of the new notes for their selfish agenda.

“The PDP is therefore, disgusted by the hypocrisy being exhibited by the APC Presidential Candidate, who, despite his alleged role in the cash scarcity is pointing accusing fingers at others and seeking to exploit the ugly situation to incite unsuspecting Nigerians with the view to disrupting the 2023 general elections.”

According to him, “Asiwaju Tinubu and his apologists in the APC are aware that he has no chance in the election and thus are devising all manner of shenanigans to overheat the polity, derail the electoral process and force an undemocratic situation upon our country.

“Nigerians now know the truth and hold Asiwaju Tinubu and the APC directly responsible for the anguish they have been subjected to in the face of this excruciating cash scarcity; another reason they will deal Tinubu a humiliating blow with their votes at the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.

The PDP called on President Buhari to “protect Nigerians by going after these felonious APC leaders as well as the saboteurs in the system who are reportedly working with the APC Presidential Campaign to mop up cash meant for distribution to our citizens.

“Our party stands with Nigerians; the artisans, traders, drivers, ‘keke’ and ‘okada’ riders, labourers, food vendors, students and all hard-working citizens at this time of distress.”

The PDP charged the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to be mindful of the sufferings being experienced daily by Nigerians and demands that the bank takes urgent measures to arrest the unbearable situation by ensuring adequate protection and effective monitoring of cash distribution process.

Among other measures, the CBN should immediately provide dedicated Mobile Banks and Special Cash Points in areas of need particularly in the markets and rural areas of our country. Using such facilities to dispense low amounts in markets and rural areas will drastically reduce the pain and anguish being experienced by Nigerians at this time.

The party, in a separate statement signed by Debo Olugbondiyan, the Media Adviser of the Atiku/Okowa Campaign Organisation, said it was pleased that the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, “has officially conceded to the electoral superiority of the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.”

The Atiku/Okowa Campaign Council, therefore, invited Nigerians to note the admission by the Tinubu Campaign, while responding to the recent Nextier Polls, “that Atiku Abubakar is well-grounded, more popular than Senator Tinubu and poised for victory in the most states of the South East, South-South, South West, North East and other parts of the country.”

The party also said: “While we completely reject and do not recognise the said Nextier Polls as it is unsupported, baseless and unempirical, our campaign however, acknowledges Tinubu Campaign’s submission in its response to Nextier that Adamawa (and by extension the North East) is a stronghold of the PDP Presidential Candidate and described any speculation to the contrary as ‘ridiculous.’

“Also, our Campaign acknowledges the admission by the Tinubu Campaign that South-South states of Delta, the home state of the PDP Vice Presidential Candidate, Akwa-Ibom, the home state of the Chairman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Bayelsa, Edo and Rivers States are impregnable strongholds of Atiku Abubakar and the PDP and declare any poll to the contrary as jesting.

“This is also the case in the South East States of Abia, Enugu, Anambra, Imo and Ebonyi which remain strongholds of the PDP with unwavering support for Atiku Abubakar.

“It is also clear that Atiku Abubakar is well grounded and more popular than Tinubu in States of the North West, including Katsina where the APC structure has collapsed into the PDP; Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi where APC members are daily moving in their millions to the PDP due to the overwhelming acceptability of Atiku Abubakar.

“In the same vein, in the North Central, the PDP Presidential Candidate is enjoying overwhelming popularity in Benue, the home State of the PDP National Chairman; Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau and the FCT where Nigerians have demonstrated their preference for the Atiku Abubakar and the PDP as evidenced in the swelling support base as well as the victory of the PDP in recent sub-national elections.”

They noted that the “Tinubu Campaign could not lay claim on the South West, ostensibly given the fact that Atiku Abubakar and the PDP are more popular than Tinubu in South West State of Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo, Ogun as well as Lagos State where APC Presidential Candidate’s popularity has fatally dipped following the shocking revelations of corrupt looting of the resources and assets of the State.

“Having officially conceded to the political superiority of Atiku Abubakar ahead of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election, our campaign counsels Asiwaju Tinubu to quietly withdraw from the race so as to avoid a humiliating defeat.”

Olugbondiyan assured that “Nigerians will not elect an individual convicted for trafficking in narcotic as the President of our nation.

“This is more so with the recent revelation that the APC and the Tinubu Presidential Campaign are behind the biting cash scarcity that has brought so much hardship and distress to Nigerians.”