- says planned N20,000 vote-buying out of $20 million NG-Cares fund, a greek gift
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governorship Campaign Council in Kwara, has raised alarm over the state government’s move to share palliatives to vulnerable groups, saying that such a gesture at this critical period is capable of inducing voters as the elections come in few weeks.
In a statement released on Thursday by the Media Assistant to the Director General of the Governorship Campaign Council, Sulaiman Abdulwaheed Olamilekan, Prof Ali Ahmad alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state is taking advantage of the ugly situation in the country, thereby abusing the sensitivity of the poor, and vulnerable Kwarans.
The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to the statement released by the Kwara State Government promising palliatives for vulnerable groups to cushion fuel, and currency switch. The statement also promised to deploy free buses along specific student routes. We are so surprised that the failed APC administration, who originated the hardship upon the masses, is now taking advantage of the ugly situation through planned vote-buying tactics.
“This deliberate anti-peopled policy by the failed ruling APC was masterminded to abuse the sensitivity of the poor masses whose trust has been betrayed in the last eight years. We are saying that any little gesture from the failed APC government at this auspicious moment should never be embraced. Kwarans should rather ask pertinent questions from the ruling APC whose deliberately insensitive policy pushes the hardship we are currently experiencing in the country today.
“To us, such eye service and audio palliatives gestures should outrightly be rejected by the people as the election draw nearer. Voting the APC out of government should be the priority of every Kwarans whose insensitive policy has been hit badly.
“Since the Kwara APC knows that money politics will be hard to play this time, they have now devised another means to hoodwink the poor masses through the Greek palliatives gift.”
The PDP Campaign Director general, however, challenged the Kwara State Government to provide information, identities of the beneficiaries, and how the intended palliatives will get to those who truly need them.
“The Kwara APC is already feeling the imminent defeat awaiting them at the polls and that’s why they are looking for every possible way to induce voters with insincere gestures. This time, Kwarans should not fold their arms and allow such dubious intentions to change their minds. We are confident that our party’s OSUWA campaign slogan has truly resonated with the voters as they are ready to vote massively for our party, the PDP to return to power. The people are no doubt tired of the mediocre APC government both at the national and state level.
“As a people-centric party, We are once again reminding Kwarans that the money the APC planned to share is the NG-CARES funds by the World Bank through the Federal Government allocated to states to cushion the hardship of the Covid-19 aftermath. We have asked the governor six fundamental questions cutting across the funds that were given to states, among others but he failed to answer.
“We make bold to say that the planned Greek gift is supposed to be for over 5000 beneficiaries while the sum of N3.2 Million is to be distributed to each beneficiary. ”
He, therefore, urges Kwarans to collect the planned N20,000 palliative through the KWASSIP and in return show appreciation by voting the APC out of government at the February and March 2023 polls.
“We challenge the Kwara State Government to come out and tell us who the beneficiaries of the planned palliatives would be and the methods adopted in choosing them,” the statement added.
