A northern politician, Sani Liti, has called for the disqualification of the presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and that of the Peoples Democratic (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
Liti, who is the chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), accused both candidates of vote buying during the presidential primary elections.
According to him, the money both candidates spent during the presidential primary election can settle the lingering strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
“I still maintain my stand on the call for the disqualification of the two gentlemen from the 2023 presidential race,” Liti told Punch.
“First, just like I said the other time, the conventions that produced the two as the presidential candidates for their respective political parties were fraught with acts that violated Nigerian laws and international conventions and statutes that Nigeria is a signatory to.
“During the two conventions, delegates were bought with money and dollars were used instead of Nigeria’s legal tender, which is the Naira. At the conventions, they legalised dollars to buy votes of delegates.
“In Nigeria, it is only the Naira that is legalised as legal tender and not any other foreign currency. We are talking of laws and morality here. I am saying that Nigerian laws and international conventions were broken during the conventions of the two political parties, in the presence of our law enforcement agencies and in the presence of the President, (Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
“So, if either of the two presidential candidates is allowed to become the nation’s President, corruption will fester. The two personalities regard themselves as above the law of the land, whereas our laws apply to everyone. You cannot be above the law of the land. Our laws are supposed to be implemented and applied to us to ensure a just society.
“During the conventions of the two political parties, no fewer than N150bn must have been spent. This is apart from the money that the two could have spent on party executives. This money alone (N150bn) is enough to meet the needs of the striking ASUU members,” he added.
