The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised fears of possible hiccups in the 2019 election financing with the budgetary option adopted by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The President had in a letter to the National Assembly on Tuesday, asked the lawmakers to approve N242 billion for the 2019 general elections.
The President urged the lawmakers to make the N242 billion available to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for conduct of the elections.
However, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP said President Buhari’s request was capable of scuttling the 2019 general election.
The party described the President’s request as a booby trap ahead of the 2019 general election, saying it was deliberately set to drag the elections into a financial controversy and ultimately subvert the entire process.
“The PDP invites Nigerians and the international community to note that this request is a deliberate plot to inject disagreements in the polity, cause confusion in the electoral system and set the stage for a political crisis capable of frustrating the conduct of the elections,” the PDP said.
The party said President Buhari himself ought to know that his request was at variance with constitutional provisions and extant rules guiding legislative virement of funds already meant for constituency developmental projects but sent same to the National Assembly.
The statement said: “If Mr. President meant well for the nation and had no ulterior motives, he should have sent a fresh supplementary budget to the National Assembly for whatever amount he seeks for INEC, instead of seeking for a controversial virement.
“Nigerians will recall that the PDP had always pointed to series of signposts towards circumventing of our laws and extant regulations to achieve certain unpatriotic agenda, including a possible self-succession plot.
“President Buhari must come to terms with the fact that Nigerians are eager for the 2019 general election and are not ready to be taken for a ride by any person whatsoever, in their quest for a new President come May 29, 2019.
“We therefore charge Mr. President to follow the rules and immediately submit a fresh supplementary budget or seek other legitimate ways and means, devoid of bottlenecks, to finance the election.
“Nothing must stop the 2019 general elections and the process must be credible, free and fair.
“Finally, the PDP counsels Mr. President and his advisers, in their ambition, to seek other political survival strategy and desist from actions that are capable of dragging our nation into an unnecessary electoral crisis, as such will be firmly resisted by Nigerians.”