N45m nomination form: You are misquoting the law, Keyamo tells PDP

Director, Strategic Communications of President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN has said that those criticizing the purchase of nomination form for President Buhari at N45 million are misquoting the law.


The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said that President Buhari can no longer play the pro-poor gimmick which his followers have always presented to Nigerians and that the purchase of the N45 million All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Nomination form for President Muhammadu Buhari was a worn-out stunt, smacking of fraud and shame.

The party in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, berated the ruling party for the outrageous cost of its nomination forms even as it accused it of abandoning Nigerians to languish in penury just as it called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to note that the purchase of the N45 million form by the group directly violates section 91 (9) of the Electoral Act which provides that “no individual or other entity shall donate more than One million naira (#1,000,000) to any candidate.”

“Our people are daily confronted by the flaunting of affluence and material wealth by the President and those around him, while betraying and abandoning millions of poor Nigerians who, unfortunately, put their trust in him in 2015.

“Nigerians are aware that the very expensive personal effects, including posh jewelries daily paraded by his close relatives betrayed the gimmick of using an unregistered group, pieced together to execute another failed pro-poor stunt to sway Nigerians.

But Keyamo in a series of tweets on Friday said those criticizing the purchase of nomination form for President Buhari at N45 million are misquoting the law.

He also said that the APC government has gotten everything right and called on Nigerians to the sincerity, personal integrity of Mr Buhari ‘on an overall scale against those of his opponents in 2019 and see where the scale tilts.”

“Since President Buhari has not publicly disowned the purchase of the form by the group, the PDP charges INEC to, within the next 24 hours, hold him culpable and make him to face the appropriate sanctions for the violation of electoral laws,” the statement read

“Some mischievous persons are reading S. 91(9) of the Electoral Act upside down. The section limits CASH (not material) donations in respect of CANDIDATES to N1m. PMB is not a CANDIDATE. He’s an aspiring ASPIRANT. He becomes an ASPIRANT only when he submits his Forms to his Party,”

“Same people that said nothing last week when a group ‘donated’ nomination FORMS to a ‘crying’ opposition aspirant are now descending on PMB & misquoting the law. It’s more honorable to openly support a candidate of your choice than hiding behind one finger & looking ridiculous.

“The situation we have in Nig is that the REAL oppressors of the masses are struggling to pose as their saviours whilst they seek to paint the REAL saviours as the oppressors. They’re using fake news, propaganda, etc, to paint this picture. All they want is to sneak back to power.

“Some of us are prepared to be misunderstood, abused & maligned by a few for d position we have taken today about the future of our country because we see behind the scenes and WE KNOW THE TRUTH. It is better to be vindicated by posterity than to be applauded wrongly at the moment

“Let’s be clear that d present govt may not have gotten EVERY decision right or taken EVERY step right since 2015, but we urge Nigs. to put the sincerity & personal integrity of Mr. President on an overall scale against those of his opponents in 2019 and see where the scale tilts.”