The Niger State government has been accused by the state's chapter of the opposition political party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), of borrowing N5 billion to sponsor the ruling Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) plans to ensure that the 2015 forth coming general elections are rigged.
Addressing journalists in Minna, Publicity Secretary of the opposition APC in the state, Jonathan Vatsa explained that the state Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs borrowed N3bn while the state government borrowed N2bn to make a total debt of N5bn.
The party equally alleged that the state government borrowed the money with the aim of compromising security agencies, alongside the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), so as to rig the election in favour of the ruling PDP.
While calling on security agencies to stop what it termed all unholy alliances with the government, Vatsa insisted that the state government recently summoned a meeting with all the INEC state electoral officers, wherein the arrangement to assist the PDP in rigging the election was sealed.
Vatsa said, "At the end of the meeting, each electoral officer was given N100,000 while it was also agreed that the sum of N3bn will be released to them when the election commences."
He further stated that the state government was building up heavy debt burden on the citizenry and the incoming government just to induce voters.
Vatsa said, "We in APC are calling on the people of Niger State not to sell their votes and their future for a pot of porridge."
But in a swift reaction, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the state governor, Israel Ebije, described the state APC's allegations as untrue, and a lie from the pit of hell.
Ejibe also called on the opposition APC to produce documents to back its claims.
According to him, "Though their reckless allegation does not deserve reply, it is however instructive to clarify the abysmal blackmail the state opposition has decided to serve the electorate with.
"It is indeed a serious problem when a political party is so very equipped with strange stories constructed from the pit of hell to sell to electorate. For Niger State APC, issue-based politics is not simply for them.
"They are only interested in fabricating lies, cheap blackmail and unleashing thugs in their desperate attempt to secure victory."
Photo: InformationNigeria
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