Oshiomhole to Saraki: Provide evidence I was bribed or I sue

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has asked Senate President Bukola Saraki to provide evidence he (Oshiomhole) was bribed or be taken to court.

The chairman made this known in a statement by his chief press secretary, Simon Ebegbulem, in the early hours of Thursday.

This is in apparent reaction to a call by Mr Saraki on Wednesday in Ilorin that the national chairman should resign as he lacks the moral ground to continue to lead the party.

The table seems to have turned as only a few months ago, it was the national chairman calling for the resignation of Mr Saraki following his defection from the ruling APC to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.

Mr Saraki, who spoke on the allegation that Mr Oshiomhole was induced to influence the results of the controversial party primaries, said till date, the issues remain unresolved in some states.

Mr Oshiomhole, who recently returned to the country, was earlier grilled by the State Security Service over the controversial primaries which have turned governors of states like Ogun, Zamfara and Imo against the former labour leader.

The statement said the attack by Mr Saraki on the character of the party chairman is “unwarranted, pathetic and irresponsible.”

The chairman also said Mr Saraki lacks moral grounds to make such accusations.

He said Mr Saraki, “an usurper of and pretender” to the position of Senate President, had no moral ground to call for the resignation of the national chairman.

“It is equally sad, but not unexpected, that Saraki, who is politically drowning, would make such libelous comments against the national chairman of the APC. And I challenge Saraki to mention one name of an aspirant that gave money to the national chairman or we file a legal action against him.

“Whereas, the basis on which he made those comments was tenuous and unjustifiable, it is on record that Saraki has been in the eye of investigations by the EFCC and the ICPC for sundry cases of corruption,” the statement read.

“We challenge him to mention one person who has claimed that he gave money to Oshiomhole to influence him and the decision of the party’s national working committee (NWC) in the just-concluded primary elections.”

SOURCE: Premium Times