According to Okedara, a member of the electoral panel, the state executives of the party only provided them with accommodation and feeding. He also said the committee did not meet with any aspirant directly or indirectly to solicit or receive financial inducement for the exercise.
A member of the electoral panel that conducted the indirect primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, Alhaji Akeem Olatunde Okedara, has denied the allegation that the committee recieved the sum of N10 million from Senator Shehu Sani representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District.
He disclosed this on Saturday, while speaking with SaharaReporters via telephone, during which he noted that the committee did not collect any money either by proxy or from the senator. He explained that the committee could descend so low to receive bribes from aspirants.
Senator Shehu Sani had raised the alarm over a plan by Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Governor of Kaduna State and Uba Sani, to implicate him in an allegation that he offered N10 million bribe to the chairman of the electoral panel, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen. [story_link align="left"]63903[/story_link]
Okedara, however, described the claim as "malicious and frivolous, and capable of tarnishing the image and reputation of the committee".
He called on politicians to be cautious of their utterances and not to heat up the polity.
According to Okedara, the state executives of the party only provided them with accommodation and feeding. He also said the committee did not meet with any aspirant directly or indirectly to solicit or receive financial inducement for the exercise.
He said: "I did not collect one 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 happened."