Senate President and Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, Bukola Saraki ,yesterday, faulted Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s ongoing tour of markets in the country saying monies being handed over to traders were not budgeted to be shared to Nigerians by officials of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He also described the development as “sophisticated vote buying.”
The DG said this at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja. Saraki said it was wrong for the Vice President to be distributing monies belonging to Nigerians, accompanied by leaders of the ruling party.
He said: “In 2015, I didn’t see the Vice President going anywhere to give anybody Trader Moni. In 2016, I didn’t see the Vice President going anywhere to give anybody Trader Moni. In 2017, I didn’t see the Vice President going anywhere to give anybody Trader Moni. But all of a sudden in 2018, we are seeing this.
“He goes about with the Woman Leader of his party, APC, and governors of his party. At least, if you are going, you should have Woman Leader of all the parties because the money belongs to Nigeria. But all I see is APC Women Leaders. It is wrong, it is morally wrong. It equates in a way to sophisticated vote buying. If it is not vote-buying he should have been doing it since 2015. In 2016, he didn’t do it. In 2017, he didn’t do it. Suddenly in 2018, that is the biggest programme.
“And next time he goes out, he should carry people that represent the community, not just one party or political association. It’s either they stop it completely or they expand the space to ensure that it represents all Nigerians.
“Because the money when it was appropriated, we said it is money appropriated for all Nigerians.
“What we will be saying to Nigerians is that it is our belief that, with our candidate, we have a leader who understands what is required in moving the economy forward. Is the economy better now and is it worse than it was in 2015? Are people suffering more now than they were in 2015?
“The reality is this. We need a candidate that can drive investments and bring the factories back working, bring the business economy working again.
“Government alone cannot do it and the government has tried to do it in the last few years and it has not worked and unless you have a President that people believe in the investment climate will not be conducive.
“We need somebody that will unite the country. we believe that Atiku has shown he is a Nigerian. Every part of the country will feel that he will represent them.
Responding to a statement by the APC warning against issuing an entry visa to Atiku, Saraki described same as an indication that the ruling party is panicking ahead of the poll. – Vanguard.
