Tambuwal offered N13m each to defect – Sokoto lawmaker

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state allegedly tried to bribe APC lawmakers to defect to PDP

A Sokoto legislator has made a stunning claim of bribery against Governor Aminu Tambuwal, who left the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday.

The member of the state House of Assembly, who declined to follow the governor to the PDP, said he was offered N13 million by the governor as an inducement to dump the APC.

He said he rejected the money and appeared to insinuate that the 18 other members who followed Tambuwal to the PDP accepted the bribed. The claim has not been verified.

The legislator, who belongs to the camp of former Governor Aliyu Wammako, said he and 11 other members of the house rejected Tambuwal’s bribe.

“We were offered N13 million each to move to the PDP. I, along with 11 other members of the house declined the offer and remained in the party with which we were elected.

“We remain loyal to APC, our leader Senator Aliyu Wamakko and President Muhammadu Buhari. We cannot join PDP because we cannot return to darkness which the opposition party represents, having experienced the light in APC”.

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“No amount of intimidation, political harassment as well as monetary inducement will make us change our political stand.

“We are happy with the recent political development in our state and we will continue to work towards promoting the lofty ideals of our party,” he said.

He said he and 11 other colleagues rejected the bribed to join the PDP because “they have their names to protect”.

“We have since embarked on house to house sensitization to our teeming supporters on why we remain in our party and why we want them to remain politically committed ”

“We want everybody to remain loyal to our party leaders, shun political thuggery and violence because as progressive we must be seen to be promoting peaceful coexistence for the overall political growth of our party “he said.

He called on APC teeming supporters to participate in the ongoing continuous voters registration exercise.

“Any body that offers you money, collect it because it is your money that is supposed to be used in providing democracy dividends but diverted for selfish interests,” he said.

Tambuwal, 52, defected to the PDP in a huge ceremony in Sokoto today. His deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, remains in APC.