– A member of the Kaduna APC electoral panel for the primaries has denied receiving bribe from aspirants in the state
Akeem Okedara also said he did not receive N10 million as bribe from Senator Shehu Sani as widely alleged
– According to him, state executives of the party only provided the panel members with accommodation and feeding during the exercise
A member of the of the electoral panel that conducted the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries in Kaduna state, Akeem Okedara has denied reports making ground that Senator Shehu Sani offered the committee received N10 million to skew results in his favour.
Okedara said the committee did not collect any money either from a proxy or Senator Sani himself.
Speaking in Abuja on Saturday, October 13, Okedara said the electoral panel cannot descend so low to receive bribe from the aspirants in the state.
Describing the allegation as malicious and frivolous, the committee member said such allegation is capable of tarnishing the image and reputation of the panel.
He further called on politicians to be cautious of their utterances not to heat up the polity and always verify the fact.
He said state executives of the party only provided them with the accommodation and feeding and that the committee did not meet with any aspirant directly or indirectly to solicit or receive any financial inducement for the exercise.
Okedara said: “I did not collect 1 kobo from Senator Shehu Sani or any aspirant. All what I know is that the party officials provided accommodation and feeding for all members of the panel. The allegation is a lie and nothing like that.”
Recall that Senator Sani had raised an alarm over plan by the Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai and Uba Sani to Implicate him with an allegation that he offered the sum of N10 million bribe to the chairman of the electoral panel, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen.
Also, TRACKNEWS.NG previously reported that Iduoriyekemwen had alleged that the Senator offered a bribe of N10 million to him. during the Kaduna state APC primaries exercise.
Iduoriyekemwen said the offer by the Senator was aimed at getting an affirmation for his controversial automatic ticket.
“The only person in Kaduna state who offered me money was Senator Shehu Sani through one of my comittee members, to inform me that N10m gift was set aside for the committee chairman, and I said we didn’t need the money, asking them what the money was for.
Even after the primaries, before the announcement of results, Senator Shehu and his men put pressure on us to come and take the money. He called me several times but we made it clear to him that we didn’t need cash inducement at all,” Iduoriyekemwen said.
