By Seyi Kubosun
The Presidential Campaign Council of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, on Wednesday condemned the growing spectacle of the All Progressives Congress, APC, members distributing cash, gifts and food at campaign events in what appears to be an attempt to manufacture support for President Bola Tinubu.
The Director of Strategic Communication of the ADC’s Presidential Campaign Council, Phrank Shaibu, said Tinubu cannot buy Nigerians with the same money his administration stole from them.
In a statement he signed, Shaibu said: “At a time when millions of Nigerians are struggling to afford food, transport and necessities, flaunting wads of cash at political gatherings is an insult to their hardship. It exposes a ruling party that has lost the confidence of the people and is now relying on inducements to create the appearance of enthusiasm.
“The pattern is becoming impossible to ignore. From reports of luxury vehicles presented to APC women leaders, to cash and cooked food distributed by the President’s son through the City Boy Movement, and now videos circulating of an APC women leader handing out money and fabrics, the ruling party appears to be treating political support as something that can be bought.
“The same authorities that have pursued ordinary Nigerians over alleged abuse of the Naira must explain why apparent cash distribution by political operatives at campaign events should be treated differently. The EFCC and INEC must investigate these incidents and take appropriate action wherever electoral or currency laws have been breached.
“After three and a half years of economic hardship, rising insecurity and mounting public debt, the APC has little to show Nigerians. Its answer is to display cash and gifts at political events, as though a brief handout can erase the daily struggle families face or buy their votes.
“The Tinubu administration has pushed millions deeper into poverty, while Nigerians continue to demand answers about the scale, terms and use of government borrowing. Cash, gifts and staged displays cannot conceal a record of failure.
“No amount of money can compel Nigerians to endorse a government that has made life harder for them. The people’s votes are not for sale, and no manufactured crowd can substitute for their verdict at the ballot box.”
The ADC PCC calls on the EFCC and INEC to urgently examine the reported distributions and publicly state what steps they will take.
“Political parties must not be permitted to use cash or gifts to induce support or undermine the integrity of the electoral process.
“President Tinubu has failed Nigerians. No cash handout can buy back their trust,” he added.
