The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council on Saturday condemned an alleged plot by the President Goodluck Jonathan-led Peoples Democratic Party to cripple the campaign of the party’s presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (retd).
This was contained in a statement signed by the Director Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential campaign, Mr. Garba Shehu, in Abuja.
He said the APC Presidential campaign condemned the plot by the Jonathan-led ruling Peoples Democratic Party to clip the electoral success wings of the opposition APC, through a proposed grounding of aircraft and freezing of bank accounts belonging to stalwarts of the party.
According to him, the plot to destabilise the APC and cripple its flag-bearer, General Muhammadu Buhari, may be linked to the global attention on its candidate’s performance at the United kingdom’s Chatham House last Thursday.
The statement partly read: “The hint we gather from sources is that the government, through its agents, is plotting to ground aircraft and freeze bank accounts of APC stakeholders. But history has shown that the forces of evil can never succeed against the zeal of men and women of virtue and good deeds.”
Shehu said information at APC’s disposal had uncovered the plot by the Jonathan administration to use the Aviation Ministry and the security service to hound and clampdown members of the APC, by prospecting obnoxious means to halt and slow down Buhari’s popularity.
“There is also a plot to block or freeze the bank accounts of APC chieftains like Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Rotimi Amaechi (Director General of APC Presidential Campaign Organisation), and other prominent leaders believed to be funding the General’s campaign; and availing him their aircrafts for electioneering purposes,” Shehu said.
The APC Presidential campaign spokesperson recalled that private jets conveying APC Governors, Amaechi of Rivers State and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, were either prevented from taking-off or landing during crucial political occasions, particularly during the Ekiti State gubernatorial elections that “saw PDP’s Ayodele Fayose defeating Dr Kayode Fayemi, in a most controversial military-assisted contest now known as Ekiti-gate Tape.”
When contacted, the deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Abdullahi Jalo said, he was not aware of any such plan and challenged the APC to produce evidence if it had any.
He said, “The PDP will remain focused on its campaign for this election. We will not be distracted by the opposition. If they have evidence of any such plan they should make it public.”
