Buhari group accuses PDP, Atiku of planning to spend N400m to lobby US Visa for ex-VP

…Commends US body on findings for 2019 election
The Buhari Media Organisation has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar of hiring a US lobbyist for millions of dollars just to score cheap political points of securing an American visa.

This is even as the group also described as credible and more authoritative the finding by a United States Congressional body, that President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressive Congress (APC) will win next year’s Presidential election.

The BMO in a release signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke claimed that the party would be paying Brian Ballard who is believed to be close to US President Donald Trump the equivalent of N400 million over a one year period to ostensibly lobby Washington on behalf of its candidate ahead of the 2019 Presidential election, describing it as another chapter in PDP’s “book of corruption”.

The group added that even if Trump’s friend convinced the US authorities to clear the path for Atiku to finally enter the US, it won’t clear the former Vice President of the corruption scandals that have over the years stuck to him.

It said, “Nigerians are not prepared to easily forget how the PDP Presidential candidate’s name featured in high profile sleaze probe ranging from that of the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) to Siemens during his 8-year tenure as Vice President.

“Not even a close ally of Trump can wipe clean a slate of corruption that took years of intense begging for his former principal to reluctantly accept his apology, but which he still wants him to seek the forgiveness of Nigerians.”

The pro-Buhari group however said it was not surprised that a party with credibility problem thinks the solution to its problem lies in throwing money around.

“These are people that have been conditioned to see dollar rain as solutions to local credibility problems. Coming soon after they had shared wads of dollars among party delegates, they did not feel bad spending more to boost the economy of Dubai where they have been holding strategy sessions.

“The same people have signed a deal of $90,000 a month to secure an American visa for a morally challenged presidential candidate
“They are busing boosting businesses in other countries, yet they are running a presidential campaign with the theme of ‘making Nigeria great again. How ironic!” BMO added.

It wants Nigeria to see the difference between a President Muhammadu Buhari whose party does not need to spend money in any currency to whitewash his image and that of a candidate that needs to pay the equivalent of N400 million to clean its image in just one country.

Speaking on the finding by the United States Congressional body, the group applauded the methodology adopted by the body to arrive at its conclusions.

In a widely circulated report, the United States Initiative for Peace (USIP), a body set up by the US Congress, had stated that President Muhammadu Buhari is likely to emerge victorious in the 2019 Presidential election.

It also added that steps must be taken by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies to avert violence in about eight states including Lagos, Ekiti, Kaduna, Kano, Plateau, Adamawa, Rivers and Anambra.

In its reaction, BMO welcomed the conclusion and the scientific approach USIP employed to arrive at that conclusion.

“We are impressed that the USIP said the report is based on its interactions with Nigerians from different sectors and that ‘though many Nigerians feel that the current administration has not fully met their aspirations, this is not likely to cost the All Progressive Congress (APC) government its hold on power’.

“We note also that the original intention of the survey was to sample Nigerians’ opinions on the possibility of violence during the elections and whether they think that the elections will be free and fair.”

BMO says it is gratifying that the prediction of Buhari’s victory was an added value flowing from responses of the sampled populace.

The group says it is also instructive that this report is by a “credible, authoritative body, founded, funded, and answerable to an arm of the United States Government; an incorruptible, non-partisan and uncompromisable agency.

“This is unlike commercial entities that are ready to sell to the highest bidder, and whose predictions are often porous, opaque, unreliable, off the mark and whose voodoo methodologies are often shrouded in secrecy.”

The group called on the Nigerian electorate to “shine their eyes on who to believe between the democratic body and commercial purveyors of falsehood.

“We believe firmly that Nigerians will find advocates of peace initiatives more credible than economists masquerading as political experts.”