PDP dismisses APC’s vote-buying allegation

• Cautions INEC over alleged plan to bend rules
• Fayose threatens to quit party over convention

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned what it called “the uneasiness, apprehension and nervousness in the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) since the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate.In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said “such nervousness in the ruling party has led to a renewed attempt at smear campaign with spurious allegations against our presidential candidate.”

It, therefore, described the vote-buying allegation as a defeatist approach that shows that the APC and the Presidency are afraid of the Atiku candidacy and have reached their wits end well ahead of the elections.

“The claims by APC of vote-buying at our national convention, is therefore, not only false but completely unfounded and symptomatic of a party that has totally lost bearing and now engaged in rumour-mongering.“However, such allegation from the APC is not unexpected given that it had tried everything possible to scuttle our national convention and presidential primary but woefully failed, hence the desperation to engage in attempt to discredit the process that has been acclaimed as the best in our political history,” the statement said.

Besides, the PDP has cautioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to contemplate bending the rules to smuggle in candidates from the Zamfara State chapter of the APC.

Ologbondiyan, in a statement, said: “The PDP is aware of a clandestine meeting between topmost officials of INEC and Zamfara State government, where INEC was instructed to manipulate the system and bend the rules to accommodate the APC.”

Meanwhile, the out-going Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, has threatened to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) following the outcome of the national convention held on Saturday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The governor, who was said to have supported Governor Aminu Tambuwal who came second in the primary with 693 votes, yesterday in a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti said he would renounce his “membership of PDP” if the need arises, but did not state his grouse.

Fayose said that he and others were still consulting on the next line of action.“We have no regret aligning with Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to support Governor Tambuwal for the presidential ticket and no apologies either.“We kept the party alive and strong when most men became ladies. We never compromised. If any group feels it can do it alone, we will see how far they can go.“I may renounce my membership of the party if the need arises,” he said.