The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday reacted to the confessions made by the former Senate President, Senator Ibrahim Mantu, that he helped his party to rig in the 2015 elections.
Senator Mantu, who was a Senator on the platform of the PDP made this confession on Friday during an interview on Channels Television Programme, Hard Copy, but the PDP said his claims have nothing to do with their party.
In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP also dismissed the advice by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to learn from Mantu and confess their sins against the country.
“Senator Mantu’s reported claims is personal to him and has nothing to do with the PDP, as the party has never directed any of its members to rig election on its behalf, at any point since its formation.
“Senator Mantu spoke about his personal activities and tendencies in the elections where he participated. The PDP has never directed or had any pact with him to rig election on its behalf. Never!,” the statement read in part.
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The party said individuals run their elections on the platform of political parties once they emerge as candidates adding that the party’s code of conduct does not give room to election rigging.
“In the PDP, candidates are issued with the party’s Code of Conduct containing the basic rules of electioneering engagements.
“There is nowhere in this rules of engagement where candidates or party members are directed to rig elections on behalf of the party. If any member’s conduct transgressed these basic rules of engagement, that individual did not act on behalf of the PDP, and as such the party cannot be vicariously held responsible,” the statement said further.
The party, therefore, said it would be misplaced for anybody, including the APC, to surmise that Senator Mantu, in the confession of rigging, acted on behalf of the PDP.
“After all, in 2007, Senator Mantu lost his own senatorial election. What, then, happened to his rigging machinery, if he could not deliver himself,” the party queried.
