BY NKECHI NAECHE——The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the claim by former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ibrahim Mantu’s that he rigged election for the party “is personal to him”.
According to the party the claim has no nothing to do with the PDP.
The party, disclosed this in a statement released by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Sunday in Abuja that the party had never directed any of its members to rig election on its behalf, at any point since its formation.
He dismissed advice by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to learn from former Mantu’s claims on how he rigged elections.
He said that Mantu spoke about his personal activities and tendencies in the elections where he participated.
“”The PDP has never directed or had any pact with him to rig election on its behalf. Never!
“Individuals run their elections on the platform of political parties once they emerge as candidates.
“In the PDP, candidates are issued with the party’s Code of Conduct containing the basic rules of electioneering engagements.
“There is nowhere in this rules of engagement where candidates or party members are directed to rig elections on behalf of the party.
“If any member’s conduct transgressed these basic rules of engagement, that individual did not act on behalf of the PDP, and as such the party cannot be vicariously held responsible.
“It will, therefore, be misplaced for anybody, including the APC, to surmise that Sen Mantu, in the said confession of rigging, acted on behalf of the PDP.
“After all, in 2007, Senator Mantu lost his own senatorial election. What, then, happened to his rigging machinery, if he could not deliver himself?.”
The spoke’s person however urged the APC to manage its failures in party administration and other problems that has affected the nation and Nigerians negatively.
Mantu was reported to have disclosed during a programme on a television that he helped PDP to rig elections in the past election.
It would be recalled Senate, Ibrahim Mantu, at the weekend revealed how he helped his party to win elections in the past.
Senator Mantu, who was a senator on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), ‘confessed the truth’ during an interview on Hard Copy, a Channels Television programme that airs on Friday.
Asked about how he helped to rig elections, he said, “I don’t have to go and change election (results) but when you provide money, you give money to INEC boys that if they see any chance they should favour you, you provide money to the security (personnel); I tell you it’s not necessarily when I am contesting election but when my party sponsors a candidate, I will like that candidate to win election.”
