Election Debate Group (NEDG) has vindicated
the All Progressives Congress’ stance that the
debate was compromised by President
Goodluck Jonathan, the Muhammadu Buhari
campaign organisation has said.
The opposition campaign media and publicity
director Malam Garba Shehu said the sordid
details coming out of organizations of the
debate would have tainted the APC candidate
had he presented himself to the group.
A civil society group, Value and Integrity
Group alleged at a press conference on
Friday, that a First Bank account opened for
the NEDG had the founder of a private
television network as sole signatory, even
though he is not listed as one of the directors
of the NEDG.
According to leaders of the Value and
Integrity Group, Sina Odugbemi and Popoola
Ajayi, co-ordinator and secretary respectively,
“an initial deposit of N1 million was paid into
the said First Bank account, and on March 28,
2011, another N20 million belonging to the
NEDG was paid into the personal account of
the said founder of the leading private
television network.”
The Buhari campaign said “We at the APC
Presidential Campaign got the eye-opening
news of the press conference by the Value
and Integrity Group accusing the Nigeria
Election Debate Group, the crux of the
allegation being that some members of the
NEDG have been monetarily influenced.”
It added that “although the group failed to
mention from what source the monies came
from, we had taken a position, based on
intelligence made available to us that the PDP
has compromised the integrity of an unnamed
few in the NEDG with huge and ridiculous
sums of money.”
“And watching President Goodluck Jonathan
reading from a prepared script gleefully as he
answered questions in the debate confirmed
our suspicion that there will be “EXPO”.
“These two scenarios: The allegation of
corrupt inducements in the NEDG and the
president reading from a prepared script
during the debate validates our reasons for
abstaining from the debate,” Shehu said.
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