The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of hiring a group called “APC support group”, spreading what it calls “hate and deception” against the party’s governorship flagbearer in Bauchi State, former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique (Rtd.)
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka and made available to Kanyi Daily.
This medium understands that as the 2023 general election draws closer, such accusations and counter accusations are expected.
According to Morka, the group have launched attacks against the APC guber candidate in the state.
One of such attacks, he said, included sending a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleging that he wants to engage in electoral fraud in the 2023 governorship election.
“Ahead of the 2023 Governorship Election in Bauchi State, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has set its hirelings on the prowl masquerading as an “APC support group”, spreading hate and deception against the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its Governorship flag bearer in the state,” the statement reads.
“Under thin and false cover as “APC Youth Vanguard”, these elements have launched calumnious attacks, including a spurious petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique (Rtd.), Governorship Candidate of the APC in Bauchi State, and his wife, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajia Sadiya Umar.
“A petition authored by one Mohammed Usman Dikko on behalf of “APC Youth Vanguard” makes bogus and unsubstantiated allegation of a plot by our candidate to engage in acts of electoral impropriety.
“To be clear, the purported ‘APC group’ is a phoney, unknown, and bearing no affiliation, whatsoever, with our party or its registered support groups.”
The APC national publicity secretary argued that “While the PDP has every reason to be anxious and jittery about its rather bleak prospects ahead of the Bauchi State governorship election given its government’s dismal performance, resorting to guile and subterfuge is beyond the pale.”
He further said the people of Bauchi State will not be taken in “by PDP’s lies and deception howsoever packaged or delivered.”
The PDP is yet to react to this allegation at the time of filling this report.
Bala Mohammed is the current governor of the state under the PDP and he is seeking a second term mandate.
Background
Recall that few days ago, the APC Youth Vanguard asked the EFCC to probe allegations of corruption against ex Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique, and his wife, the minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Hajia Sadiya Umar.
The Youth Vanguard tasked the anti-graft agency in a letter to its Chairman, Ibrahim Bawa.
The letter titled, ‘The Plot by Former CAS Abubakar Sadique and Sadiya Umar to Procure Bauchi State with Proceeds of Corruption: Need for Urgent Investigation and Probe’ was signed by its president, Mohammed Usman Dikko.
The letter reads in part, “It is instructive to state that in the buildup to the APC gubernatorial primaries in the state, it is on record that Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique rtd spent several millions of dollars to secure the ticket of the APC with the help of some party stalwarts in the state and Abuja.
“It is also on record that since he was nominated as the APC candidate in Bauchi state, he has been on a spending spree with monies that surpassed his income as a former public officer. This much we reliably gathered was in conjunction with his wife, who currently serves as the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs.
“The Executive Chairman may wish to recall that during the stint of Air Marshal Abubakar Sadique as Chief of Air Staff, he was enmeshed in a series of corruption allegations that he got away with by virtue of the office he occupied.
