APC Accuses PDP of Converting Edo’s Treasury to Political Slush Fund

APC Accuses PDP of Converting Edo’s Treasury to Political Slush Fund

Allegation is antics of drowning party, PDP replies

By Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of ‘criminally’ converting the Edo State treasury to a ‘political slush fund’.

But in a swift reaction to the allegation that the PDP is looting the treasury of the state government, the Secretary of the PDP National Campaign Council for Edo State governorship election, Kola Ologbondiyan, said such is the antics and unnecessary cry of a drowning party.

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr. Yekini Nabena, in a statement issued yesterday, said the widely reported faceoff between Governor Godwin Obaseki and his Deputy, Philip Shuaibu, over the release of funds for the PDP governorship campaign has already given credence to that.

Nabena, while responding to a recent communique issued by the PDP Governors’ Forum, where it enjoined President Muhammadu Buhari, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to “play an impartial role” in the forthcoming governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States, said PDP’s plan is to unleash violence, intimidate voters and buy votes during the election.

He said: “For a party whose stock-in-trade remains cloning of Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs), stealing card readers, voter intimidation, thuggery and vote buying as witnessed during the 2019 general election, the PDP’s call is dubious and a smokescreen for their real and sinister intentions.

“The real issue is how the Edo State treasury has been criminally converted to a political slush fund as exposed by the widely reported faceoff between Obaseki and his deputy, Shuaibu, over the release of funds for the PDP governorship campaign.

“Again, as chairman of the Edo State PDP Governorship Campaign Council, the violence being threatened by the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, ahead of the September 19 governorship election are the real issues.

Wike has promised to “make sure that everything needed is done” to foist the PDP governorship candidate on the good people of Edo State.”

Nabena said there are already credible reports of Wike’s plan to import thugs from neighbouring states to achieve PDP’s rigging plot.

He reiterated that Wike would not succeed, saying the party stands with the good people of Edo State in calling on security services not to allow the PDP and Wike turn Edo State into a killing field.

Nabena stressed that security services must do everything to stop the PDP’s plan to unleash violence, intimidate voters and buy votes during the election, adding that on September 19, votes would count and the will of the electorate would prevail.

Meanwhile, Ologbondiyan, while reacting to the accusations that the PDP is looting the treasury of Edo State, stated that such is the antics and unnecessary cry of a drowning party (APC).

The party secretary said APC resorting to such falsehood shows that they have realised that it cannot rig the September 19 governorship election, explaining the allegations are non-existent as it is absolute falsehood.

Ologbondiyan said the PDP would not elevate such falsehood from the APC to become a subject of reaction to it.

According to him, “It is totally unacceptable to accuse the PDP of any financial malfeasance as it is unthinkable and a full falsehood. The focus of the PDP is to win the Edo State governorship fairly and transparently without resort to the APC style which is through rigging.

“Edo people are in agreement with the PDP that this is the time to rescue the state from a political godfather and give Governor Godwin Obaseki another four year to enable him to perform as he is currently doing. We are on a rescue mission, and therefore will not be distracted.”

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