Presidency sets aside N40m to bribe presidential candidates to stall Atiku’s legal fight- CUPP alleges

Opposition political parties under the aegis of Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) have accused the Presidency of efforts to use some political parties and their presidential candidates to stop Atiku Abubakar from dragging President Muhammadu Buhari to Court.

CUPP said already officials of the Federal Government, led by a minister, had at a meeting with some presidential candidates promised to give each of them N40 million for them to prevail on Atiku, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded presidential election to forget his legal threat.

Incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had defeated Atiku, his closest rival and over 70 other candidates in the election that held on February 23.

Atiku is alleging that he was rigged out and has vowed to challenge the outcome of the election in court.

But CUPP in a statement on Monday by its first national spokesman, Imo Ugochinyere, the presidential candidate, who had assured of N40 million each, would attend a joint press briefing where they would collectively ask Atiku to accept defeat and not go to the tribunal.

“The Federal Government will be making huge amount of money available to them to enable them to organise press conferences during which they will be calling on Atiku and the Peoples Democratic Party to accept ‘defeat’ and not go to court to challenge the election result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“If indeed they are convinced that President Buhari won the election as they want the world to believe, why are they desperate to buy political parties into asking Atiku to drop the idea of going to court?

“We make bold to say that no amount of pressure from sponsored political parties or groups will make the PDP presidential candidate jettison his desire to approach the court to retrieve his stolen mandate.

READ ALSO : Atiku laments continued detention of his lawyer, son-in-law

“Let the political parties that have resolved to sell their birthright for a pot of porridge also know that we are watching and history will not judge them right if they decide to collaborate with enemies of democracy so continue to subvert the will of Nigerians.

“Having failed in their earlier bid to hire some women in the Federal Capital Territory to march on the streets and demand that Alhaji Atiku should not go to court, the next move is to gather presidential candidates.”

His claim came as 36 presidential candidates had on Monday, like he alleged, begged Atiku not to sue Buhari over the out come of the February 23, presidential election.

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