APC Denies Budgeting N6.5trn For  Vote-Buying Ahead Of 2023 Election

By Damilare Adeleye

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday, debunked claim that it budgeted a sum of N6.5 trillion for vote-buying in order to ensure electoral victory at the 2023 presidential election.

The party queried if it was possible for a government operating a national budget of N17 trillion would dole out N6.5trillion to rig election.

According to the party National Publicity Secretary Mr. Felix Morka, in a statement issued on Monday in Abuja, he described the document report and claim as fake and the handiwork of mischief-makers.

He said, “The attention of the APC has been drawn to a document in circulation described as leaked APC 2023 Election Document.

“Mischievously, the document alleged that our party has voted a whooping N6.5trillion to fund schemes aimed at swaying the Nigerian electorate to support and vote for the party and its presidential candidate in 2023.

“Ridiculously, too, the document alleged that obscene amounts of money have been voted for outright vote-buying, compromising INEC staff, security operatives, judicial officers, and other officials.

“The APC wishes to place firmly on record that the document is not of the party, we neither authored nor own any such document and it certainly did not emanate from our party.’’

Morka accused the main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of being behind said the document with the aim to smear the ruling APC ahead of the election.

He added that in its zealous attempt to mudsling, the document’s authors alleged that the APC proposed to spend nearly half of the country’s entire 2022 budget on vote-buying.

“We urge Nigerians to disregard the document as sleazy propaganda for which the PDP has gained notoriety.

“The APC remains committed to building an innovative system of free and credible elections as witnessed in the recently concluded Ekiti State governorship election,’’ Morka disclosed.