The Edo State Peoples Democratic Party Campaign Council has raised the alarm over alleged plot by the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other APC chieftains in Edo to buy votes with N300m during the September 19 governorship election.

Chairman of the council’s publicity and media committee, Chris Nehikhare, in a statement, said intelligence available to the council revealed that the local councils in Lagos State have been mandated to contribute N15 million each to finance the rigging plan.

According to him, “We are once again drawing the attention of the world and all lovers of democracy to the glaring fact that the APC is attempting to rig the Edo 2020 governorship election scheduled for Saturday, September 19, 2020, by mobilising N300 million from Lagos State local councils, each council contributing N15 million to execute the sinister plan.

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“It is regrettable and disturbing that at a time when Lagosians are suffering from the vagaries of biting economic hardship superintendented by the APC government’s policies, the party is deploying Lagos State’s resources to subvert the will of Edo People.”

He said it was shameful that the APC is propagating the template of vote buying and rigging that should best be left to the relics of Nigeria’s political history, noting.

“We are sure that the resort to this despicable tactic is because the party is certain of defeat at the poll and is only trying to save face. The people have been unanimous in their support for the candidate of the PDP and no matter the underhand tactic of the APC, the will of the people must surely prevail,” Nehikhare said.

He queried the interest of Tinubu in the outcome of the poll in Edo, noting that the people are resolute in truncating the reign of godfathers in the state.

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“Edo is not Lagos. Edo people are proud and dignified people and would not surrender their freedom and freewill to men who want to act god over their affairs. So Tinubu can keep his money in Lagos,” he said.

Meanwhile, reacting to the allegation, Mr. John Mayaki, Chairman of the APC Media Campaign Council, described the PDP as “master riggers”.

He noted that the APC has no interest in dishonest politics, just as he added that Nehikhare, PDP spokesman, may have been disoriented when he “fabricated the story”.

He said, “The PDP are renowned countrywide for their matchless fabrications. They are masters of falsehood, but whenever Nehikhare gets excited and tries to fabricate one, he overdoes it. It is glaring that the man did not know what he was saying. He should meet Chief Dan Orbih, his mentor, to teach him the art.

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He said, “The PDP are renowned countrywide for their matchless fabrications. They are masters of falsehood, but whenever Nehikhare gets excited and tries to fabricate one, he overdoes it. It is glaring that the man did not know what he was saying. He should meet Chief Dan Orbih, his mentor, to teach him the art.

“Edo people know that APC has no interest in dishonest politics. What do we stand to gain from buying votes that the people have already promised us? Why would Lagos local government councils raise that kind of money for us? Don’t they have anything to do with money in Lagos? If Lagos went about furnishing APC states with that kind of outrageous sum, what will they use to develop themselves?

“I think their claim is due to our earlier exposure on Obaseki’s order to council chairmen to release the sum of N1.7 million to 18 local government Electoral Officers (EOs).

“If the man (Nehikhare) had been following the news, he would have noted that the person is lying against is only giving us moral support as a party leader. He is not here in Edo, and he is a man who strongly opposes anti-democratic moves.

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“I don’t know why Nehikhare wants to drag him into the mess that Mr Obaseki has made of Edo politics, but he is insignificant to Tinubu and would likely not get a response from him. Again, don’t forget that this is the same APC National Leader Obaseki visited for endorsement and support for the APC ticket”.

Mayaki, however, advised Edo people not to “sell their birthright and votes to the dishonest merchants and tax collectors of PDP, as the APC was coming to right all the wrongs of the past four years.”