The Director General of Bola Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Adebayo Shittu, has challenged the former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba to prove the allegation of vote-buying at the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary.
Applesbite earlier reported that the former presidential aspirant filed a lawsuit before a Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking the disqualification of APC flagbearer, Bola Tinubu and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Nwajiuba alleged that Tinubu bribed the APC delegates in dollars and also referenced a recent statement of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, saying those who sold their votes at the APC primary are regretting it.
Responding to this, Adebayo, in an interview with PUNCH, described Nwajiubu as one of the frustrated people in APC who shunned the unveiling of its vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima.
He noted that Tinubu’s camp is not stopping anyone from going to court and the ex-minister can do so if he has evidence to prove the allegation of vote-buying.
He said: “Can Nwajiuba prove this allegation? As I once told you, these are frustrated people. Was he even at the unveiling of Kashim Shettima, his party’s vice presidential candidate? No, he just like a few others, didn’t turn up. Did he even write the APC leadership about this?
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“Anyway, let him go to court and prove his case beyond a reasonable doubt. The truth is that we can’t stop anybody from going to court if he has a genuine case and can tender the evidence. I mean, what he is alleging, in this case, is criminality and he has to prove it. That is my position.”
Although the PDP spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, declined to comment, a political analyst, Busari Dauda, said that the ex-minister had the right to seek justice if he feels justice has not been served with the way the primaries were conducted.
However, Debo added that Nwajiuba’s lawsuit would be an exercise of futility since the Independent National Electoral Commission has released the names of candidates.
He stated: “The presidential primary is an internal affair of the political parties, yes. There have been allegations of vote-buying here and there but nobody has come out to say I bought or sold delegates’ votes, it’s his responsibility to prove beyond reasonable doubt that votes were bought.
“If he is able to do that and it is recognised in the constitution that they can be disqualified then the court can go ahead to disqualify them.
“However, the primaries have been conducted, the process is ongoing and INEC has released the names of the candidates. I think it is an exercise in futility at this point, he is just seeking for relevance.’’
