•Saraki: Oshiomhole has no moral basis to remain in politics
•Atiku has surrounded himself with scammers — Keyamo
LAGOS — Ahead of Sunday’s flag-off of presidential election campaigns, the two major presidential candidates, President Muhammadu Buhari, and Atiku Abubakar were, yesterday, in war mood over the standing of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.
National Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Director-General of Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Organisation, Bukola Saraki, fired a salvo yesterday when he said Oshiomhole had no moral basis to remain in politics after sundry allegations of impropriety raised against him by his party chieftains and governors.
Saraki’s assertion was also echoed by the Atiku Campaign Organisation which, while sympathising with Oshiomhole over what it described as his recent experience in the hands of the Department of State Services, DSS, called on him to throw in the towel and join others that had allegedly deserted the party.
The Atiku Campaign also declared its readiness to teach the Buhari Campaign lessons in issue-based campaigns.
The salvos were immediately thrown back by Buhari Campaign which alleged that Atiku had been surrounded by scammers, saying Buhari’s refusal to interfere with whatever issues were raised against Oshiomhole was another badge of credibility for his anti-corruption crusade.
Anti-Oshiomhole protesters storm ICPC
This came as some protesters, yesterday, stormed the headquarters of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, in Abuja demanding an investigation into allegations of bribery levelled against Oshiomhole during the recently concluded nationwide primary elections of the party.
Saraki, who spoke with journalists in Ilorin yesterday, on the sidelines of the sixth remembrance prayer for his late father, Dr Olusola Saraki, said Oshiomole had no grounds to talk about morality in today’s politics in the light of what he claimed as the controversies that dogged the party’s nomination process for political offices.
Responding to earlier injunctions on him by Oshiomhole to resign his position as Senate President, following his defection to the PDP, Saraki said: “That must be a joke, coming from Oshiomhole talking about moral ground. I think Oshiomhole has no locus standi to talk about morality today.’’
Noting allegations of bribery he said were raised against the national chairman of the ruling party by party chieftains and governors, the Senate President said: ‘’I don’t think he has any moral ground, even to continue to be in politics, let alone talk about being chairman of a party.
“I remember in those days, nobody ever accused Oyegun of something like this. I have left that party. I’m sure the President, based on integrity, knows the right thing to do. So, on moral ground, he cannot speak.’’
The Senate President also used the opportunity to assure supporters of PDP’s victory in the forthcoming by-election in Irepodun /Ekiti /Oke Ero /Isin federal constituency.
Atiku Campaign blasts APC
The Atiku Campaign in a statement issued yesterday, also blasted the APC as it mocked its campaign tactics and the national chairman of the party over his recent experience arising from the nomination process.
Noting contradictions in the APC’s assertions that Atiku was set to bring in money from abroad to fund his campaign and another one on Tuesday where Atiku was mocked as being broke, the PDP presidential candidate replied: “Our response is to urge the APC to make up its mind on which lie it wants to tell Nigerians and then stick to that lie.
