By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The Kaduna State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has rejected claims that the money seized from one of its chieftains was allegedly for vote-buying purposes.
The Source reports that the Kaduna Police Command had earlier, on Saturday, August 16, 2025, announced the apprehension of one Shehu Aliyu Pantangi and a recovery of about N25 .9 million from him, suspected to be for the manipulation of the State and National Assemblies By-elections in the State.
According to a statement by DSP Mansir Hassan, the spokesperson for the Kaduna State Police Command, Pantingi was arrested at a hotel along Turunku road in Kaduna, from where he was allegedly coordinating the vote -buying largese.
The Police claimed the suspect, during interrogation, admitted that the seized money was for the purpose of influencing the By-elections.
But in an interactive session with the Media on Saturday, the Kaduna State PDP Chairman, Edward Percy Masha, insisted that the seized money was purely for election logistics, including payment of party agents and other party officials involved in the election.
The PDP Chairman while describing the allegation of vote-buying as false, malicious and politically motivated, accused its main rival, the All Progressive Congress, APC, of being behind the false alarm.
He emphasized that every party involved in an election sets apart some money for logistics, noting that the money being branded was meant for vote-buying was the funds voted for PDP agents and other officials during the by-elections.
According to him, over 5000 PDP agents and other officials were deployed across the Constituencies involved in the by-elections, with the now seized N30 million representing their stipends.
” Let me, at this point, make it clear that the money was for election logistics. We have 169 wards, and if you multiply the number of agents, supervisors, and collation officers by their allowances, you will arrive at well over N30 million.
“That is the reality. To now turn around and say it was for vote-buying is mischievous and insult to the intelligence of Nigerians”, Masha stated.
This is as he pointedly accused the APC of using state apparatus, including security agencies, to hound and intimidate opposition parties.
The PDP Chairman regretted that the Party has been targeted in recent times by security agencies for molestation and intimidation at the instance of the ruling party APC.
He described the clampdown on the PDP as a clear sign of desperation on the part of the APC, having been rejected by overwhelming majority of Nigerians owing to the despondent state that it has plunged the country.
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