PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES: ATIKU WOOS DELEGATES WITH N50,000 EACH.
Even before the commencement of the presidential primaries of the
opposition party All Progressives Congress (APC), former vice president
Abubakar Atiku has splashed about N16.4million on Katsina APC, that
included N50,000 each to the state’s 208 delegates.
Atiku, who is
one of the frontline presidential aspirants of the APC, gave the money
yesterday when he visited Katsina State to lobby delegates preparatory
to the party’s presidential primary election.
Speaking at the
Katsina State APC Secretariat, Atiku said he viewed the APC in Katsina
State as an orphan, because the party is not in government. He then
announced the donation of N5 million to the state secretariat, N1
million to the elders of the party, and N50,000 each to the 208
delegates.
“APC in Katsina Sstate is an orphan. I said this
because it is not in government. I have seen the condition of the
secretariat; so in my capacity as one of the elders of the party, I give
the party secretariat N5 million, the elders N1 million and the
delegates N50,000 each,”
He added that he was confident of
winning the primary election, while stressing that “the time for
consensus has gone, because it is too late for the process of
consensus”, adding that the best thing for the party was to go for the
primaries.
In a short speech, the Katsina State APC chairman, Dr
Mustapha Muhammad Inuwa, extolled the virtues of the former vice
president and said “Nigeria needs the likes of Atiku”.
LEADERSHIP
Sunday recalls that the Katsina State chapter of APC recently endorsed
General Muhammadu Buhari for the party’s presidential ticket.
The
national publicity secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, could
not be reached last night for his comment, but a source in the party
said it is not proper for an aspirant to promise delegates money.
“If what you just said is true, it is wrong for any aspirant to promise
delegates money. We are trying to create a level playing field for all
the aspirants and we frown at such practice,” the source said.
Justifying the action of the former Vice President in Katsina, his media
spokesman, Garba Shehu in a statement said “all party leaders,
including Atiku, make contributions to party development and this is
more compelling in states where the party does not have control of the
government.”
According to him, “donations to party are routine.
There is no scandal in that, especially for someone like him, who is not
dipping his hands in government treasury to get the money.”
Shehu stated that Atiku “makes donation of a standard sum of N5million
for the running of the party in all non-APC-controlled states that he
visits. These donations are announced publicly at the meetings which
take place at party offices. In some states, they get assistance to buy
buses or furniture items for their offices.
Some party branches
do not even have offices, and they call on party leaders to help, and
the Turaki as much as possible pays his dues to the party.”
Atiku’s spokesman added that the Turaki’s “audiences, in all cases, are
made up of stakeholders who come from distant places. Some of them may
be delegates. If there is a little sum that they are given, in an open
interaction, to fuel their cars and pay hotel accommodation for the
night, what is there to make noise about?”
He added that “someone
here is either trying to be mischievous or naive. I think it is
insulting to the delegates in Katsina or anywhere to say they can be
bought with N50,000.”
Electoral Act Frowns At Inducement During Election – Lawyers
Some lawyers in the country yesterday said the Electoral Act frowns at any form of inducement during elections.
Reacting to the news, an Abuja-based lawyer, Ismaila Alhassan, who
spoke with LEADERSHIP Sunday last night said, Section 124(1) of the Act
does not support inducement while seeking for votes.
According to him, it is a criminal offence under our law to induce voters while campaigning for votes or during election.
“Our laws do not support inducement. In fact, it is a criminal offence. Our laws totally frown against it,” Alhassan said.
Another Abuja-based legal practitioner, Jimoh Adedeji, said politicians
in the country should be careful not to flout electoral laws.
“No doubt, inducement during electioneering or voting is a criminal
offence. It should be totally condemned and not encouraged,” Adedeji
said.
Source: #Leadership_News.
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