Atiku accuses Buhari of using govt resources for reelection campaign

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP), has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of lying by
saying he won’t allow use of state resources for campaign
purposes.

Abubakar has released what he described as evidence of how state
resources have been used for Buhari’s reelection campaign.

The president on Wednesday said he would not allow the use of
public funds for the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign.

But in a statement issued on his behalf by Paul Ibe, his
spokesman, Abubakar cited alleged instances where the federal
ministry of information and culture has been producing “campaign
materials” for the president and the APC.

“In negation of the Constitution and the Electoral Act 2010 as
amended, the Buhari administration and the APC has taken to the
illegal deployment of state resources to its advantage for the
election,” the statement issued on Thursday read.

“We wish to remind President Buhari and the APC that the use of
state videos released by the Federal Ministry of Information and
Culture is illegal under the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

“The media is awash with advertisements with the hashtag
#PMBDIDIT and signed by the Federal Ministry of Information and
Culture and referencing so-called achievements of the APC
administration in the states of Abia, Kwara, Lagos, Ebonyi, Delta
and Kano, among others.

“These are without doubt 2019 presidential campaign materials
produced by the Ministry of Information and Culture using state
resources and apparatuses to benefit President Buhari. (See
attached videos).”

[ANOTHER PROMISE DELIVERED]

RETIRED BIAFRAN WAR AFFECTED POLICE OFFICERS.

162 officers placed on the pension payroll and 57 next of kin
have received death benefits of their deceased family
member.#PMBDIDIT#GovtAtWorkNG@abikedabiri @Ayourb @Johannxs @BashirAhmaad @fkeyamo pic.twitter.com/9A7ZZvtlCU^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]}

— APC United Kingdom (@APCUKingdom) November
6, 2018^[9]

Listen to Akpoteghor a former Staff of the
Delta Steel Company tells his testimony of how former staff of the
company were neglected over the decades but remembered under the
President @MBuhari
Administration. #PMBPaysPensions #PMBDidIt pic.twitter.com/tZeR9mLBHz^{[10][11][12][13]}

— The Buhari Centre (@BuhariCentre) November 6, 2018^[14]

For the first time, 2 million market women
& men are offered interest-free loans of N10,000 to N100,000.
These beneficiaries didn’t have to bribe their ways into the
scheme, neither did they know any powerful Nigerian. This might
seem little, but lives have been touched!

— APC Nigeria (@APCNigeria) December 30, 2018^[15]

Atiku argued that the videos produced by the federal ministry of
information violate section 100 of the electoral act, 2010.

The section reads: “A candidate and his party shall campaign for
the elections in accordance with such rules and regu lations as may
be determi ned by the Commission. (2) State apparatus including the
media shal l n ot be employed to the advantage or disadvantage of
any political party or candidate at any election.”

The PDP candidate demanded that “INEC issues an immediate cease
and desist order to both the ministry of information and culture
and to the broadcast channels running it”.