The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, of swapping N22.5 billion in old naira notes for new ones in Kano State.
The APC’s Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has challenged the PDP to prove that the ruling party planned to swap such a large amount of old notes for new ones.
The PDP Campaign Council in Kwara State also claimed the APC and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s attempts to blackmail traditional institutions in the state would not shield them from defeat in the impending elections.
In a statement yesterday, PDP National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba claimed the swapping of N22.5 billion hoarded old naira notes to new ones in Kano State was a desperate attempt by the APC to buy votes in the elections.
He said evidence available to the party suggested that this move by the APC, which was responsible for the severe cash scarcity, was purportedly being coordinated in the North West region by two APC State governors, who paradoxically had been vociferous in lamenting the cash crisis.
The main opposition party further claimed that APC officials had agreed to send a large number of old naira notes from Kano to Lagos State today and tomorrow to exchange them for new ones.
The PDP has been informed that N22.5 billion in old N1000 notes was allegedly kept in a Kano State Government facility before being moved to a particular old generation and a certain new generation bank, where the regional heads were contacted by the APC Presidential Campaign to swap the old notes for new ones.
The Tinubu Campaign is storing the funds for vote buying in Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Jigawa, and Sokoto States. Ologunagba alleged an APC state governor received N500 million fresh Naira notes to implement the vote-buying operation.
Thus, the PDP informed the CBN and security authorities of APC leaders’ illicit activity, which it claimed was causing great pain to Nigerians.
“Our party demands quick action to stop APC in this illegal crime, reclaim the money, and make the new Naira notes available to the public,” Ologunagba said.
The PDP warned Nigerians that corrupt APC leaders were undermining the system to steal the new banknotes for vote-buying ahead of the February 25 presidential election.
In response to the PDP, APC PCC Director of Media and Publicity Bayo Onanuga said it was not enough to dole out cock and bull stories in the name of press releases and challenged the party to present facts, adding that the PDP campaign had become known for making stupid charges every day.
Onanuga stated: “Let them produce the evidence if they uncovered such. Press releases should not just be cock and bull stories. PDP’s daily complaints are not a winning strategy.
Looters cannot fool Nigerians. Nigerians will never forget a party that stole over $2 billion for armaments procurement while Boko Haram killed our compatriots and nearly took over three northeastern states.
We challenge PDP to prove their latest charge or the party of looters should cover its ugly face in permanent shame.
Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, a former Senate President, was accused of insulting the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, over the weekend.
Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir, Saraki’s local press officer, denounced the reports as inaccurate, baseless, and irresponsible.
The Coalition of Ilorin Emirate Youths Development Association (CIEYDA) and The Peoples Vanguard (TPV) advised against any criticism that could bring down the traditional institution, notably the Emir of Ilorin.
The CIEYDA’s National Chairman, Dr. AbdulMumin Ajia, and the TPV’s spokesperson, Mr. Ibrahim Musa, issued a joint statement in Ilorin yesterday, claiming that the development showed their longstanding animosity for the traditional stool, particularly the Emir of Ilorin and Abdulrazaq’s family.
The PDP Campaign Council’s Director of Media, Mr. Lawal Akanbi Sharafadeen, expressed alarm about the APC and current administration’s plan to divide the state’s ethnic groupings.
“We don’t fight until there are concerns, and all the disclosures of various unknown groups tied to the government haven’t raised any. As it did during the 2019 general election, the APC has begun its typical inflammatory propaganda to discredit our beloved traditional institution by inciting royal father issues.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the recent successful campaign tour of PDP to Kwara North is exclusively to solicit the support of the zone for PDP candidates in all elections and had nothing to do with the leadership of our traditional institutions as that has been decided long ago.
“It is quite understandable that the Kwara North success of the PDP campaign is unsettling for the unpopular Governor and knowing full well that a resounding success awaits the PDP campaign at the central, hence the governor has resulted into playing dirty through countless unknown associations but the PDP will not come down so low but rather concentrate on issues”.
