The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council (PPCO) has accused President Muhammadu Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC) of spending between N5,000 to N10,000 per head to rent crowds for its presidential campaign rallies.
The PPCO made this known in a Wednesday statement signed by its Director, Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan.
According to the main opposition party, the president and the ruling party resorted to those antics to create an impression that they are still popular.
The statement read, “The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) berates the factional National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, for making derogatory comments against PDP’s successful zonal Presidential rally held in Owerri, Imo state, on Tuesday.
“PPCO said Oshiomhole is discomfited that the PDP is taking back its traditional states, including Imo, ahead of the general elections and that Nigerians and Imolites are genuinely rallying behind our Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as well as our gubernatorial candidate, Hon Emeka Ihedioha, which informed the reason for the mammoth crowd at the Owerri rally.
“Since Oshiomhole came into office, APC has been losing ground across the country for which it has resorted to renting crowd at its Presidential rallies to create a false impression that President Buhari, who has been rejected by Nigerians, still commands followership in our country.
“We know how the Buhari Presidency has sunk low to be paying money to people to attend his rallies; how the Presidency and the APC are recruiting agents in various parts of the country, through whom they conduit renting fees ranging from N5,000 to N10,000 per head, at President Buhari’s rally, which is now the latest racket in town.
“These agents transport the rented crowd, in buses and trailers from neighboring states, to venues of President Buhari’s rallies to give the impression of massive support from the host state. Usually, the same individuals are recycled in rallies especially in a particular geo-political zone.
“The agents also orchestrate stunts, including getting people to climb on vehicles, rooftops, electric poles, towers and masts, as well as blocking roads around the venue and surging towards the podium, all to create an impression of crowd overflow and a fake craving for President Buhari, whose rallies are now our new Nollywood series.
“Hirelings detailed to perform difficult stunts receive higher payments, which explains the surge to climb poles, towers and masts at APC rallies.
“It has been established that over 50 percent of people at any President Buhari’s state rallies are made up of apolitical persons rented from contiguous states. This explains why the crowd at President Buhari’s rallies, which having no affinity with his ambition, is always unruly and do not respond to the APC slogans or wave the APC brooms.
“Already, ahead of President Buhari’s forthcoming rally in Anambra, agents have been fully mobilized to rent and transport crowd from Kogi, Edo and Delta to create an impression that he enjoys massive support in the state.
“We ask; who is fooling who? President Buhari should stop deceiving himself and know that the masses, which he impoverished, will collect his money, which is part of our common patrimony, and still vote their candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and defend their votes to the very end.”
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