Atiku: Candidates deny CUPP’s allegation of inducement from presidency

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUUP), yesterday, alleged that officials of the Federal Government have been meeting with some political parties and their presidential candidates with a view to convincing them to tell PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar to accept the outcome of the February 23 election.

The allegation coincided with the call by 23 presidential candidates, led by Malam Shittu Mohammed, the National Chairman of Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA) and its presidential candidate, on Atiku to jettison the idea of going to court, and accept the verdict of Nigerians and congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari.

CUPP alleged that the government officials, led by a minister, agreed on behalf of the Presidency that each presidential candidate would receive N40m and would attend a joint press briefing where they would collectively ask Atiku to accept defeat and not go to tribunal.

The coalition’s national spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, made the claims in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja. Ugochinyere said the minister had already held series of meetings with chairmen, secretaries and presidential candidates of the affected political parties.

He said, “The Federal Government will be making huge amount of money available to them to enable them to organise press conferences during which they will be calling on Atiku and the Peoples Democratic Party to accept ‘defeat’ and not go to court to challenge the election result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“If indeed they are convinced that President Buhari won the election as they want the world to believe, why are they desperate to buy political parties into asking Atiku to drop the idea of going to court?” he asked.

Responding to the allegations, Shittu Mohammed who doubled as chairman of the presidential candidates in 2019, said he didn’t collect money from anyone to call on Atiku not to challenge the presidential election.

He claimed that PDP was behind the “fake news” because they had been enmeshed in corrupt acts.

“We are patriotic Nigerians; we are not out for money. If you are a true Nigerian, you must be patriotic; you must be concerned about what is happening in the country. So, that is PDP mischief. They thought money can buy everything and that is why they failed. They thought their money will give them the ballot. So that is why they are accusing others of what they are doing,” he said.