Tambuwal didn’t offer any lawmaker money to leave APC, says group

Tambuwal Youths Movement, a group loyal to Aminu Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto state, says the politician who recently defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not offer money to any lawmaker in the state to join him in his new party.

E. E. Anifowoshe, national publicity secretary of the group, said this while responding to an allegation.

After Tambuwal defected to the APC, 18 of the 30 members of the state house of assembly, also dumped the ruling party for the opposition.

A lawmaker who craved anonymity had alleged that Tambuwal “bribed” he and his colleagues but 11 members of the house rejected the offer because “they have their names to protect”.

“We were offered N13 million each to move to the PDP. I, along with 11 other members of the house declined the offer and remain in the party with which we were elected,” the lawmaker said.

“We remain loyal to APC, our leader Sen. Aliyu Wamakko and President Mohammadu Buhari. We cannot join PDP because we cannot return to darkness which the opposition party represents, having experienced the light in APC.

“No amount of intimidation, political harassment as well as monetary inducement will make us change our political stand.”

But Anifowoshe dismissed the allegation in a statement.

“Our attention has been drawn to the fake news report making round in the social media alleging that the Executive Governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal allegedly induced members of the state House of Assembly with the sum of N13 million each to enable them defect with him to the Peoples Democratic Party as false and hallucinating report,” the statement read.

“The report credited to an unnamed member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly is not only false but a product lies manufactured from the pit of hell to tarnish the image and character of Governor Tambuwal just because he dumped his membership of a clueless political party yesterday.

“We therefore urge Nigerians especially the teeming supporters of Governor Waziri Tambuwal to ignore the report as that is part of the wider conspiracy to malign and discredit the reputation of the governor for selfish reasons.”