Niger borrows N5bn to finance rigging – APC

The Niger State All Progressives Congress on Sunday accused the state government of borrowing N5bn to bankroll the Peoples Democratic Party’s plans to rig the forthcoming general elections.



APC state’s Publicity Secretary, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, stated this while addressing newsmen in Minna, adding 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.

Vatsa alleged that the government borrowed the money for the purpose of buying over security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission in rigging the election in favour of PDP, calling on the security agencies to stop :all unholy alliances” with the government.

He said the state government had recently summoned a meeting with all the INEC state electoral officers, where the deal to assist the ruling party in rigging the election was sealed.

“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 said.

The APC spokesman added that the PDP administration had realised too late that it had become very unpopular and could not win any free and fair election in the state, which had forced it to resort to frantic efforts to rig the election through inducement.

He stated that a PDP woman supporter had been caught in Chanchanga area of Minna, buying voter card at N20,000 each, advising that the Police should not overlook these electoral offences by the ruling party.

APC spokesman lamented that the government was piling up heavy debt burden on the people and the incoming government just to induce voters, adding that “we in APC are calling on the people of Niger State not to sell their votes and their future for a pot of porridge.”

The state government has, however, described the APC claim of borrowing N5bn loan as untrue, saying it was “a lie from the pit of hell.”

In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Israel Ebije, the state called on the opposition party to produce documents to back its claims.

“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,” he said.