The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has slammed the Senator Ali Ndume of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for linking its party to suspected internet fraudster, Ramon Abbas, known popularly as Hushpuppi.
The PDP described Ndume as ‘irresponsible’ after the senator claimed that the party was backing electronic voting and transmission of results in order to use Hushpuppi and internet fraudsters commonly called ‘Yahoo boys’ to rig future elections.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, responded to Ndume during Arise TV’s ‘The Good Morning Show’.
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The Borno South Senator had said, “This electronic voting that they are talking about, I think it’s PDP’s idea to rig the election because they are the ones that have the Yahoo-Yahoo boys, they are the ones that have ‘Hushpuppi’. These are the people otherwise I don’t see any reason for the cry out on this matter.
“The truth of the matter is that we had 6 elections in this country and the one that was administered under the government of APC was adjudged to be very credible where you saw opposition winning elections under a sitting government. That was not the case during the PDP”.
“If what you are thinking is that APC is doing this to take advantage of it, we would have taken advantage of the previous elections that were conducted credibly”.
Ndume made the comment in response to criticisms against senators of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after they voted against electronic transmission of election results when the bill was brought before the Senate.
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He also explained that his opposition to electronic transmission of results in the Electoral Amendment Bill was because his people don’t have access to electricity because insurgents had destroyed their transmission systems.
“…particularly myself, I stood against electronic voting and transmission because I am here to represent my people. I come from the North East, Goza, in Borno South. In Borno State, as it is now, we don’t have power at all for the past six months (because) the insurgents have destroyed it.
“Our transmission systems have been destroyed by the insurgents for the past ten years and they’ve continued to destroy it. So, if you say we are to do electronic voting when we don’t have electricity or internet, how do you go about doing that?” Ndume queried.
He added that Nigerians from other regions live in “heaven” while his people live in “hell” and that the only thing his people have left is their “voting power”.
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But responding during his appearance on the magazine TV programme, Ologbondiyan described the senator’s remark as “laughable”.
He said Ndume’s statement was a confirmation that the senator had won all his elections through fraudulent means.
“It is laughable and I’m sorry to say that such comment (on Hushpuppi) can come from Senator Ali Ndume. To me, it is the height of irresponsibility and that is the fact.
“But let me state clearly that the global best practice all over the world in electioneering is e-voting and e-transmission of results.
“If the likes of Ali Ndume have been winning their elections in free, fair and credible transparent process, he won’t need to be afraid of e-voting. He also does not need to be afraid of e-transmission of election results.
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“So, the fact that he’s afraid of this shows that clearly that he had won all his elections through means that are not noble,” added the PDP spokesman.
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