The Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday dismissed as a lie the statement by the All Progressives Congress that federal lawmakers were being induced with millions of dollars to defect to the ruling party.
The PDP said the allegation was coming from “a sinking party.”
The PDP’s reaction was contained in a statement issued in Abuja and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh.
It will be recalled that the APC, in a statement by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had accused the PDP of using public funds to bribe some of the federal lawmakers who had defected from the ruling party to the APC.
Mohammed alleged that, in an unprecedented show of desperation, the PDP had allegedly rolled out a mouth-watering package promising each senator who returns to the PDP $2m; $1m to each member of the House of Representatives, and $10m to each ‘leader’ who abandons the APC for the PDP.
It said the price tag for the federal legislators from Rivers State was even higher, which he put at $5m each.
Metuh however said that all well-meaning Nigerians were indeed worried by the statements and actions of the APC which he said were aimed at destroying Nigeria’s democracy and plunging the nation into chaos.
He said that in alleging that lawmakers were being financially induced, the APC sought to create doubt in the minds of Nigerians regarding the integrity of duly elected persons and the entire democratic institution.
He said, “Though this is a preposterous and cheap thesis by the APC to explain away the collapsing fraud upon which its membership is built, it is nonetheless a vicious attack on the citadel of democracy and we call on the leadership and members of the National Assembly not to view the allegation as a mere political statement.
“We urge the National Assembly to insist that the APC withdraws the allegation and apologise to the legislature and the entire nation.
“The truth is that the APC has reached its peak. Diminishing returns has set in and the party can only go down further.”
Reacting to PDP’s demand for the withdrawal of its allegation, the APC said it stood by its statement.
In a telephone interview with our correspondent, in Abuja, on Wednesday, Mohammed said, “We stand by our story. This is not the first time they (PDP) are inducing legislators in order to compromise them. And we know this will not be the last time.”
