Frontline presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Ahmed Bola Tinubu has reportedly offered delegates from Ogun and Adamawa States huge sums of cash in a bid to secure their votes.
According to Peoples Gazette, the APC national leader dolled out the sum of $25,000 for Ogun delegates, and $10,000 for those from Adamawa.
The development has confirmed fears that the APC presidential primary election would be gravely monetized.
The report stated that delegates from both states revealed how agents from Tinubu and Vice President Yemi Osibanjo’s camps offered them hard the huge cash in hard currency.
“Ashiwaju’s people came here and they said we should support him because he has the best chance to defeat Atiku Abubakar, then they said they didn’t come empty-handed,” one of the delegates who spoke under anonymous conditions said.
Delegates from Ogun, who confirmed that they received $25,000 from the Jagaban, also revealed that they rejected a $5,000 offer from Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s agents.
“The vice-president’s people initially said he didn’t have any money to give and advised everyone to vote their conscience,” a delegate said. “But suddenly they came back to say he wanted to give us $5,000 to support our transportation and hotel accommodation.”
However, the report did not state how much other aspirants on the race to clinch the party’s presidential ticket were offering delegates.
A total of 2,322 delegates have been certified to vote at the APC presidential primary. Ogun State was allotted 248 delegates, while Adamawa got 184.
The display of cash for votes can be likened to the scenario of May 28, at the presidential primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party, which was dubbed ‘dollar rain.’
It was a direct duel between eventual winner, Atiku Abubakar and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who came in second with 237 votes.
