HOW AMAECHI, KWANKWASO, WAMAKO, OTHERS ‘PAID’ N100MILLION EACH TO TAKEOVER APC STRUCTURES – BAFARAWA
HOW
AMAECHI, KWANKWASO, WAMAKO, OTHERS ‘PAID’ N100MILLION EACH TO TAKEOVER APC
STRUCTURES – BAFARAWA
A former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, has alleged
that the five Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governors, who defected to the
ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2014 paid N100m each.
He said the governors paid the money before they were admitted
into the then opposition party.
Recall that prior to the election, then PDP governors such as
Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa ),
Abdulfattah Ahmed (Kwara) and Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto ), dumped the PDP for the
APC.
Bafarawa, while speaking with the Punch, said that the former PDP
governors agreed to pay N100m each to the national secretariat of the party so
that they could automatically become leaders of the APC in their respective
states.
Bafarawa said he was one of those who drafted the APC
constitution, explaining that some chieftains of the party , who were already
recognised as leaders of the party in their states, were dislodged by the
governors when they allegedly dropped their millions.
He said, “After the party was successfully registered by the
Independent National Electoral Commission, we heard that five governors of the
Peoples Democratic Party were leaving their party to join the APC.
“The affected governors did not get in touch with the stakeholders
of the party in their respective states but decided to meet directly with the
national leadership of the party.
“Our party leadership told us (at a meeting) that they (the
governors) were ready to make their own financial contributions for the takeoff
of the party. I was shocked to hear that while we were working hard for greater
change, other members of the PDP were coming to join us.
“Unfortunately, what we saw was that the pillars of the PDP –
because the governors are pillars of any party – were coming to give their
financial contributions of N100, 000,000 (One hundred million) each.
“I was there, (at the meeting ). Instantly, I said well, I am not
a governor of my state, but I am willing and ready to give my personal N100,
000,000 (One hundred million) to safeguard my state from the PDP (invasion).
“Unfortunately, they (party leaders ) decided (in favour of the
governors ) and they had their way . Hence, all the PDP governors, who defected
to the APC then, automatically became the leaders of the party in their states.
“I was told to hand over the party (structures) to my governor,
who was a member of the PDP. Some of us, who felt it would be an insult to us
to remain in the party, decided to leave”.
