The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) were literally at each other’s throat Monday over the former’s allegation that some APC leaders are seeking to swap N22.5 billion old Naira notes for new ones in Kano State, in pursuit of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s presidential project.
The PDP alleged that two North-west APC governors are spearheading the scheme, urging the security agencies to foil the “clandestine plot.”
Countering, the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) described the PDP as a conclave of looters, dishing out cock and bull stories in the name of press statements, and challenged the main opposition party to account for the $2billion arms funds it allegedly mismanaged when it was in power.
APC plotting to swap N22 .5bn to buy votes
The PDP, through a statement by its National Publicity Secretary Debo Ologunagba in Abuja, exposed what it described as a clandestine plot by APC leaders allegedly working for the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to swap N22.5 billion old Naira notes for new ones in Kano State.
He said: “Information available to our party revealed that this act by the APC, which is responsible for the biting cash scarcity, is being coordinated in the North-West region of our country by two APC State governors, who ironically have been very vocal in lamentations over the prevailing cash crunch.
“The PDP has been made aware that the N22.5 billion in old N1000 notes was allegedly kept in a a State Government facility before being moved to a particular old generation and a certain new generation banks where the regional heads were contacted by the APC Presidential Campaign to swap the old notes with new ones.
“Further information revealed that the cash is being warehoused by the Tinubu Campaign for vote-buying in Kano, Kaduna, Bauchi, Jigawa and Sokoto states.
“A particular APC State governor is reported to have taken delivery of N500 million new Naira notes to actualize the vote buying plot.
Ologunagba further said: “There is intelligence that an arrangement has been concluded by APC leaders to move a substantial part of the old Naira notes from Kano to Lagos State between today and tomorrow for the purposes of swapping them with new ones.
“It would be recalled that the PDP had earlier alerted Nigerians that corrupt APC leaders are compromising the system to mop up the new bank notes for their selfish vote-buying plans ahead of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election.
“The PDP, therefore, alerts the security agencies and the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, of this nefarious activity by APC leaders, which is bringing untold hardship to Nigerians.
“Our party demands an immediate action to stop APC in this criminal act as well as to recover the money and make the new Naira notes available to the public.
“The PDP calls on all Nigerians to firmly resist the APC in this heinous attempt to buy their conscience and subject them to another harrowing tenure of killings, violence, kidnapping and economic hardship that have become the hallmark of the APC administration in the last seven and half years.
“The main opposition party equally urged Nigerians to remain steadfast in their support for the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who has demonstrated the integrity, honesty, capacity, experience and readiness to get the system to work for the good of all immediately he assumes office, come May 29, 2023.”
You’re a party of looters, APC PCC fires back
Deriding the PDP, the APC PCC said the opposition party is a conclave of looters, dishing out cock and bull stories in the name of press statements.
Director, Media and Publicity at the APC PCC, Mr. Bayo Onanuga challenged the PDP to provide evidence to back its allegations.
He said: “Let them provide the evidence if they uncovered such. It is not enough to dish out cock and bull stories in the name of press releases. Making senseless allegations every passing day, which has become the hallmark of PDP campaign is not how to win election. Nigerians cannot be deceived by a party of looters.
You squandered $2bn arms fund
“Nigerians can’t forget a party of people that looted over $2billion dollars meant for arms procurement, when Boko Haram was killing our citizens and almost took over three states in the North-east.
“We challenge PDP to bring out any evidence of their latest allegation otherwise the party of looters should hide its ugly face in perpetual shame.”