The Buhari Media Organisation has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar of hiring a US lobbyist for millions of dollars just to score cheap political points of securing an American visa .
A statement by BMO recalled that PDP had itself claimed that it would be paying Brian Ballard who is believed to be close to US President Donald Trump the equivalent of N400 million over a one year period to ostensibly lobby Washington on behalf of its candidate ahead of the 2019 Presidential election.
BMO said in a statement by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that it is another chapter in PDP’s “book of corruption.”
The group added that even if Trump’s friend convinced the US authorities to clear the path for Atiku to finally enter the US, it won’t clear the former Vice President of the corruption scandals that have over the years stuck to him.
It said, “Nigerians are not prepared to easily forget how the PDP Presidential candidate’s name featured in high profile sleaze probe ranging from that of the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) to Siemens during his 8-year tenure as Vice President.
“Not even a close ally of Trump can wipe clean a slate of corruption that took years of intense begging for his former principal to reluctantly accept his apology but which he still wants him to seek the forgiveness of Nigerians’.
The pro-Buhari group however said it was not surprised that a party with credibility problem thinks the solution to its problem lies in throwing money around.
“These are people that have been conditioned to see dollar rain as solutions to local credibility problems.
“Coming soon after they had shared wads of dollars among party delegates,they did not feel bad spending more to boost the economy of Dubai where they have been holding strategy sessions.
“The same people have signed a deal of $90,000 a month to secure an American visa for a morally challenged presidential candidate
“They are busing boosting businesses in other countries, yet they are running a presidential campaign with the theme of ‘making Nigeria great again. How ironic!” BMO added.
It wants Nigeria to see the difference between a President Muhammadu Buhari whose party does not need to spend money in any currency to whitewash his image and that of a candidate that needs to pay the equivalent of N400 million to clean its image in just one country.