By Emmanuel Mogbede
The All Progressives Congress (APC)has debunked allegations by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), a group linked with the Peoples Democratic Party, that the police high command had compromised posting of commissioners to provide election security in APC’s favour.
Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, the APC National Publicity Secretary, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, described the allegation as laughable.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)reports that the CUPP had alleged that they were in possession of credible information that police posting for the purpose of providing election security had been compromised.
The coalition’s spokesperson, Imo Ugochinyere, said that some APC leaders had been requested to make their choice of Commissioners, Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers, SARS Commanders, and other strategic positions in the police.
“A nebulous group which parades itself as CUPP has made some laughable allegations on some police postings, particularly in Kwara State ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
“Ordinarily, the APC wouldn’t respond to a group of charlatans running errands for the embattled President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki.
“However, since the group has issued the statement as a decoy for him, we would direct our reactions to their paymaster,”he said.
Issa-Onilu reiterated that the APC National Chairman, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, and indeed other senior party leaders mentioned in the statement were too busy with the party’s Next Level campaigns.
He stressed that the APC leadership was too busy with engagements to be involved in the childish conspiracies and spurious allegations contained in the statement.
However, he said that it was not within the rights or responsibility of any political organisation or group to dictate to agencies empowered by laws how to deliver on specific mandates.
The APC spokesman added that the party believed that leaders with a modicum of honour, should not tread on the path of cowardice by hiding under nebulous groups to make unsubstantiated allegations.
He also said that the APC understood that people’s fears were oftentimes their own weakness.
He said it was clear that Sen. Saraki, the PDP, and their cronies were recollecting their usual practice of manipulating state institutions to achieve their political ends.
According to him, the PDP is now scared of its own shadows.
“Let it be known that our party, the APC, has not copied such dubious template,”Issa-Onilu said.
He further reiterated that a new and progressive Kwara beckons through the votes of the people, adding that Kwara electorate would decide on the new political direction in the state.
“Kwara has suffered enough backwardness and under-development resulting from the selfish grip of a self-appointed leader in the state.
“In the next election the will of the Kwara electorate will prevail,”Issa-Onilu stressed.