The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said that the purchase of N45 million naira presidential nomination form for President Muhammadu Buhari to re-contest in the 2019 election violates the stipulations of the electoral laws of Nigeria. PDP also said that the purchase of the form for Buhari by a group it said is not registered smacks of fraud because, according to it, “Buhari can no longer play the pro-poor gimmick which his followers have always presented to Nigerians.”
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP said section 91 (9) of the electoral laws of Nigeria stipulates that “no individual or other entity shall donate more than One million naira (#1,000,000) to any candidate.”
It therefore held that, for a group to purchase a form of N45 million naira for President Buhari amounts to violation of the country’s electoral laws.
PDP said “Since President Buhari has not publicly disowned the purchase of the form by the group, the PDP charges INEC to, within the next 24 hours, hold him culpable and make him to face the appropriate sanctions for the violation of electoral laws.”
Below is the full statement:
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the use of a shadowy group as a front to purchase the N45 million All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential nomination form for President Muhammadu Buhari as a worn-out stunt, smacking of fraud and worsening the already battered image of the President.
The party said President Buhari can no longer play the pro-poor gimmick which his followers have always presented to Nigerians.
Already, our people are daily confronted by the flaunting of affluence and material wealth by the President and those around him, while betraying and abandoning millions of poor Nigerians who, unfortunately, put their trust in him in 2015.
Nigerians are aware that the very expensive personal effects, including posh jewelries daily paraded by his close relatives betrayed the gimmick of using an unregistered group, pieced together to execute another failed pro-poor stunt to sway Nigerians.
Moreover, the PDP urges the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to note that the purchase of the N45 million form by the group directly violates section 91 (9) of the Electoral Act which provides that “no individual or other entity shall donate more than One million naira (#1,000,000) to any candidate.”
Since President Buhari has not publicly disowned the purchase of the form by the group, the PDP charges INEC to, within the next 24 hours, hold him culpable and make him to face the appropriate sanctions for the violation of electoral laws.
Finally, it is unfortunate that President Buhari and his handlers, in their desperation to hang on to power, even when they have been rejected, have reduced themselves to objects of public ridicule with their many bloopers ahead of the 2019 general elections.”.
