Oshiomhole: smaller parties soliciting money to endorse presidential candidates

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Wednesday knocked smaller parties for soliciting money to endorse presidential candidates of their bigger counterparts.

He accused them of bastardising the Supreme Court judgement which states the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should register as many political parties as possible.

Oshiomhole stated many of the existing political parties have been busy making brisk business from the so- called bigger parties, demanding money to endorse presidential candidates instead of producing their own.

Speaking when a delegation of the National Democratic Institute and the International Republic Institute visited the APC headquarters in Abuja, Oshiomhole also lashed out at civil society groups.

He alleged many of them are being sponsored by political parties as election observers.

He recalled as Edo governor, some of the civil society groups solicited for money from him to write favorable reports.

He said many political parties, which he described as democratic merchants, have approached him demanding for money to endorse the candidacy of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The former Labour leader lamented the entire political process is being turned into a platform for trading.

He said: “I can tell you how many requests I have from these so called political parties that if you pay me this we will announce that we are supporting your presidential candidate.

“So people have formed political parties as platform for trading. We must be careful so that in the name of freedom, we do not create democratic merchants, creating more confusion, generating more heat.”

The APC helmsman added: “I was President of NLC for eight years and we were not foreign funded but were and still remain membership driven, membership based and membership controlled.

“So, I am at home with using the tools that are legitimate in a democratic process namely persuasion, convincing people and putting your message across and communicating vertically and horizontally so that the people can decide why they should choose this person rather than that person.

“That is the gift that I have and as chairman of this party. That is what we are trying to do.”