PDP, LP attack APC over allegation of sponsoring fake news against Tinubu

From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja and Ndubuisi Orji,  Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) has said it would consider various options, including going to court over alleged $460,000 forfeiture saga involving the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress ( APC), Bola Tinubu.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, at a press briefing, yesterday, in Abuja, said with the forfeiture by a United States Court in Northern Illinois against Tinubu, the APC candidate was out of the contest for the 2023 general elections.

Consequently, Ologunagba said the expectations of Nigerians is that the APC candidate should withdraw from the presidential contest and apologise to the country.

This came as the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) accused the PDP and Labour Party (LP) of sponsoring fake news against its presidential candidate.

It, however, noted that such sponsorship would not help either Atiku Abubakar or Peter Obi, candidates of the two parties respectively, to win next year’s presidential election.

A statement by the Director, Media and Publicity of the APC campaign council, Bayo Onanuga, accused the PDP and APC of forging the letterhead of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the signature of its National Commissioner, Festus Okoye.

It also threatened to confront and fight all libellous and defamatory publications from disinformation merchants and collaborating media platforms against Tinubu.

In its  reaction, LP described as nonsensical the allegation from the APC PCC that it forged the signature of INEC National Commissioner, Okoye, and sponsored fake news against Tinubu.

National Publicity Secretary of LP, Abayomi Oluwafemi, who spoke to Daily Sun, described the allegation as nonsensical and balderdash, and urged the ruling party to concentrate on its problems.

“For us in LP, we don’t deal with mere speculations, but the proponent of that accusation needed their heads to be re-examined. Otherwise, how could they come to the conclusion that we forged the signature of the INEC National Commissioner, unless they want to tell us that they were there when the signature was forged. They need to not only tell us their informant but also write a petition against us.

“We are not surprised that their presidential candidate is involved in such, judging by the court case in the public domain. We don’t want to join issues with them because they should be apologising to Nigerians for bastardising the economy. We challenge Tinubu to campaign with the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“They just want to be relevant because they know that Nigerians are no longer taking them serious. We don’t want to dignify such arrant nonsensical balderdash of a sinking party. They should go and face their problems instead of roping in LP,” he said.

Responding to question on the party’s next line of action, yesterday, the PDP spokesman said: “We will look at the issue and take decisions and actions based on the exigencies of the times, the requirement and the need to protect our constitution and our electoral process. So, you leave that us. Every option is on the table. And so, I will leave it like that.

“It is no longer news that the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is irredeemably and hopelessly ineligible to contest the February 2023 presidential election having been reportedly indicted and subjected to criminal forfeiture judgment for a narcotic related offence by a United States Court in Northern Illinois.

“Nigerians are, however, appalled by the lame attempt by the APC presidential campaign which, after admitting that there was a $460,000 drug money criminal forfeiture judgment against accounts traced to the APC presidential candidate is now desperately trying to pull a wool over the eyes of the Nigerians people and our democracy institutions…

“What Nigerians expect of Asiwaju Tinubu at this moment is to withdraw from the presidential race and apologise to the nation. The APC must come to terms that it is not in the presidential race and that it has no legitimate candidate at all levels in the 2023 general elections as pronounced by the Federal High Court.”

He added,  “by the provision of Section 137 (1) (d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) Asiwaju Tinubu is not eligible to contest the Presidential election in Nigeria.

“Section 137 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that:(1) A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if:

(d) He is under a sentence of death imposed by any competent court of law or tribunal in Nigeria or a sentence of imprisonment or fine for any offence involving dishonesty or fraud (by whatever name called) or for any other offence, imposed on him by any court or tribunal or substituted by a competent authority for any other sentence imposed on him by such a court or tribunal.”

The PDP spokesman charged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to succumb to alleged blackmail by the APC, but to remain focused in the discharge of its duties in line with the constitution of the country.

He noted that it was not correct to say that a  court in the United States is not of competent jurisdiction, especially as countries are encouraged to domesticate international conventions, noting that  such has led to local laws including anti- money laundering law.

“Second, trafficking in narcotic is one of such. That’s why we have the NDLEA and other agencies of government to enforce that because they have been domesticated, they are international conventions.

“Those crimes are described as international crimes to which every member state of the United Nations is a signatory and they are obligated to be like.

“And our constitution is also clear about that. It talks about court or tribunal in Nigeria and it says ‘by any court or any other court’ which by my interpretation and by extension of this constitution, is any other court that is consistent with those international conventions and international crimes. We  will study it and any appropriate action that needs to be taken, it will be taken. Like I said to you, every option is on the table.”

The statement by Onanuga read: “The opposition PDP and its subsidiary LP having realised they have no sure path to victory in the presidential election upped their  campaign of calumny, disinformation and misinformation by sponsoring fake news against the APC presidential candidate.

“They did it by forging the letterhead of the INEC and the signature of its National Commissioner, Festus Okoye. The forged statement purportedly issued by INEC was disseminated to deceive the gullible public that INEC was investigating allegations against Tinubu that they desperately hoped, will ultimately lead to the disqualification of the frontline APC presidential candidate.

“We are not in any way surprised by the antics of the sinking opposition parties. What we found shocking was how quickly some compromised media organisations gulped the falsehood, hook, line and sinker, without attempting to verify.”