2019: Oshiomhole says political parties demand money to endorse Buhari
…Solicits external support against hate speech, fake news
As the 2019 general elections approaches, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has revealed that many opposition political parties have asked for payment in cash to endorse President Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidential Candidacy. Oshiomhole made this revelation in his office at the party national secretariat, Abuja on Monday when he received delegations from the European Union (EU) and International Republican Institute (IRI), lamenting that the proliferation of political parties has created avenue for vote buying in next year’s election as they do not feature candidates for election but going about endorsing money bag political parties. He said: “INEC tried to restrict the registration of political parties, the judiciary said no you can register anybody who wants to but the result is that, we have a long ballot paper which poses challenges on election day with regard to how people are going to identify who to vote for but more worrisome is that, you form a party today tomorrow you gang up that we are not producing candidates we are supporting another party. “I can tell you how many requests I have from these so called political parties that if you pay me this amount, we will announce that we are supporting your Presidential candidate. So people have formed political parties as platform for trading; we do not need to focus on law to create democratic merchants, creating more confusion, generating more heat”. The APC National Chairman denied allegations by opposition parties that the ruling party was not disposed to a free, fair and peaceful elections and called on EU and IRI to help in sensitizing Nigerians especially the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the need to eschew hate speech and stop spreading fake news capable of fanning embers of fire in the already volatile political environment. He tasked international bodies to prevail on the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) to accredit only election monitors not sponsored by political parties and to engage with Civil Society Organizations that are not politically inclined to evolve measures that would ensure credible polls while they should help to stop the turning of worship centres into political theatres. Earlier, Thomas-Greenfield leader of the delegations spoke on the rising fear among opposition parties and Nigerians that the ruling party was planning to retain power in the 2019 general elections using state apparatuses. Thomas-Greenfield noted that the whole world is keenly interested in the outcome of Nigeria’s next year’s election, urging the APC led government to improve on the successes the country recorded in 2015 and promised to factor in the process by engaging critical stakeholders especially in reducing hate speech but encouraging issue based campaigns. Tom Okpe, Abuja
As the 2019 general elections approaches, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has revealed that many opposition political parties have asked for payment in cash to endorse President Muhammadu Buhari’s Presidential Candidacy. Oshiomhole made this revelation in his office at the party national secretariat, Abuja on Monday when he received delegations from the European Union (EU) and International Republican Institute (IRI), lamenting that the proliferation of political parties has created avenue for vote buying in next year’s election as they do not feature candidates for election but going about endorsing money bag political parties. He said: “INEC tried to restrict the registration of political parties, the judiciary said no you can register anybody who wants to but the result is that, we have a long ballot paper which poses challenges on election day with regard to how people are going to identify who to vote for but more worrisome is that, you form a party today tomorrow you gang up that we are not producing candidates we are supporting another party. “I can tell you how many requests I have from these so called political parties that if you pay me this amount, we will announce that we are supporting your Presidential candidate. So people have formed political parties as platform for trading; we do not need to focus on law to create democratic merchants, creating more confusion, generating more heat”. The APC National Chairman denied allegations by opposition parties that the ruling party was not disposed to a free, fair and peaceful elections and called on EU and IRI to help in sensitizing Nigerians especially the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the need to eschew hate speech and stop spreading fake news capable of fanning embers of fire in the already volatile political environment. He tasked international bodies to prevail on the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) to accredit only election monitors not sponsored by political parties and to engage with Civil Society Organizations that are not politically inclined to evolve measures that would ensure credible polls while they should help to stop the turning of worship centres into political theatres. Earlier, Thomas-Greenfield leader of the delegations spoke on the rising fear among opposition parties and Nigerians that the ruling party was planning to retain power in the 2019 general elections using state apparatuses. Thomas-Greenfield noted that the whole world is keenly interested in the outcome of Nigeria’s next year’s election, urging the APC led government to improve on the successes the country recorded in 2015 and promised to factor in the process by engaging critical stakeholders especially in reducing hate speech but encouraging issue based campaigns. Tom Okpe, Abuja
