APC accuses Niger of borrowing N5b to finance elections

Govt denies claim

THE Niger State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the state government of borrowing N5 billion to finance election campaign and also planning to rig the forthcoming general elections for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

   The state Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa made the accusation on Sunday while addressing journalists in Minna, the state capital. He said available facts before the party shows that the state Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs borrowed N3 billion while the state government borrowed N2 billion to make a total debt of N5 billion.

   However, the state government has described the claims by the APC as untrue.

   In a quick reaction to the allegation, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Israel Ebije, in a statement called on the opposition party to produce documents to back its claims.

   According to the statement by Ebije, “Though their reckless allegation does not deserve reply, it is however instructive to clarify on the abysmal blackmail errand the state opposition has decided to serve the electorate with.”

   According to Vatsa, the government borrowed the money to use it to campaign and to buy over security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the election in favour of PDP.

   He therefore called on the security agencies to stop all unholy alliances with the government in the forthcoming election, as any attempt to manipulate the outcome of the election will be resisted.

   Vatsa alleged that the Niger State government had recently summoned a meeting with all INEC state electoral officers where the deal to assist the ruling party in rigging the election was perfected, insisting that, “at the end of the meeting each electoral officer was given N100,000 while it was also agreed that the sum of N3 million will be released to them when the election commenced.”

   He said that the PDP administration has realised too late that it has become very unpopular and cannot win any free and fair election in the state hence it has resorted to frantic efforts to rig the election through the use of money.

   He stated that a PDP supporter, a woman has been caught in Chanchanga area of Minna buying voters cards at the rate of N20,000 each, advising that the police should not overlook these electoral offences by the ruling party.

He pointed out that the government was procuring heavy debt burden on the people and the incoming government just to induce voters, adding that, “we in APC are calling on the people of Niger State not to sell their votes and their future.”