The spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari’s reelection campaign, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has debunked the allegation that Buhari violated the Electoral Act by accepting the purchase of the N45 million presidential nomination form of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for him by a group.
Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, came in defence of Buhari on his Twitter handle arguing that the critics were reading the Electoral Act upside down.
A group, Nigeria Consolidation Ambassador Network, NCAN, had on Wednesday presented a N45 million cheque for the purchase of the form for Buhari.
The gesture, it was said, was to enable him continue the good work he was said to have started.
The gesture has however since been criticized by the leading opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and some other persons.
They relied on Section 91 (9) of the Electoral Act which says “no individual or other entity shall donate more than one million naira to any candidate.”
In his reply to the alleged violation of the act, Keyamo said the said portion of the law referred to a “candidate” which Buhari had not become.
His words: “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.”
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He added: “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 honourable 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.”
