Trader money, APC’s vote buying tricks – Saraki

The Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Presidential Campaign Council for 2019 general elections, Dr Bukola Abubakar Saraki has described the All Progressive Congress (APC) led federal government’s social investment scheme code name Trader Money as “sophisticated vote buying”.

He stated this at an interaction with journalists yesterday at the Presidential Campaign Council headquarters, in Abuja.

Saraki who queried the timing said, ” in 2015 I didn’t see the Vice president going anywhere to give anybody trader money. I’m 2016, I didn’t see the Vice president going anywhere to give anybody trader money. In 2017, I didn’t see the Vice president going anywhere to give anybody trader money but all of a sudden in 2018, and the worse part about it is that he goes with women leaders of his party, governor of his party.

On the genuineness of the trader money, Saraki charged the Vice President to incorporate other stakeholders, aside members of APC, he said “at least if you’re going and it is Nigerian money you should have women leaders of all political parties because the money belongs to Nigeria but all I see is APC women leaders , it is wrong, we have said it. Next time he goes out he should carry people that represent the community not just one party. Let them carry members, women associations from not only a particular party or political association so definitely it is wrong so it’s either they stop it completely or they expand the space and ensure that it represents all Nigerians.

“It equates in a way to a sophisticated vote buying, because if it is not vote buying, he should have been doing it since 2015. You got the budget for it in 2015, in 2016 you didn’t go, 2017 you didn’t go, but all of a sudden 2018 that’s the biggest programme then you go. So to us is sophisticated vote buying, he said.

In a reaction to the US Visa against PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, Saraki said ” I think it was a panic action by government. How does granting somebody visa mean endorsement, it’s more like a panic action because government is panicking, we believe that if that happens it will send a wrong statement they should not interfere; they should allow the normal process to go by.

The Senate President added that “it is a panic reaction of a government that is scared and is worried that it is about to loose election and is trying to see how they can hustle around and that is otherwise, a desperate act to go along those issues. We are not going to talk like them, we are going to talk about issues; they’re just going to be using words and so on. The most important thing is for Nigerians to know at the end of the day , what is the need for, because when you go out and vote, it’s all about making this country better it’s not about calling people names they will do that but we are going to stay, as they say they go low, we will go high.

He added that, ” this is a party that we believe that you know, we are more focused and what we believe is how is the average Nigerian’ s life going to be better? who is going to make that better? who is going to make the economy better? who is going to make the country more secured? who is going to make the country more United? when Nigerians answer those questions, they will choose the person they should vote for.

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