PDP gave pastors N6bn to campaign against Buhari –Amaechi

Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, has alleged
that the Peoples Democratic Party bribed some
Christian religious leaders with N6bn to campaign
against the All Progressives Congress and its
presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari (retd.).
Amaechi said that the religious leaders had been
circulating documents to convince Nigerians that
the APC and Buhari would islamise Nigeria if voted
into power on February 14.
He told a crowd at the state APC governorship
rally in Emohua that the PDP ought to know that
Nigerians were too enlightened for any political
party or an individual to make the country a
Muslim nation.
The governor, who is also the Director-General of
Buhari Presidential Campaign Organisation,
therefore advised the religious leaders, whom he
accused of commercialising the Christian faith, to
return the bribe money to the Federal Government.
He said, “Some pastors collected N6bn and they
are circulating document and telling you not to
vote for an Hausa man; not to vote for a Muslim;
that they want to Islamise Nigeria. Tell them to
return our N6bn.
“They gave them N6bn; they should return it to the
Federal Government coffers. They will tell you that
Buhari wants to Islamise Nigeria; tell them we are
too educated.
“I am a Catholic, but no Catholic priest has told me
that story right now in the Catholic Church
because, I will ask him how. If any pastor tells you
that, tell him to return the money.
“Nobody can Islamise Nigeria; they have
commercialised Jesus Christ. They should stop
commercialising the Christian faith. You know what
Jesus Christ did in the temple? He chased them
away.
“We shall chase away those pastors who have
collected money from the PDP to tell us lies. We
shall chase them away on behalf of Christ.”
The governor described the election in the state as
a referendum between him and President Goodluck
Jonathan, whom he challenged to show Rivers
people what he had done for them.
“I told the President that the election in Rivers
State is a referendum between him and myself. I
told him anywhere I go, I will show what I have
done. Let him show what he has done,” Amaechi
stressed.
The national leadership of the PDP described the
allegation by Amaechi as a “crime against God.”
“It is also a crime to the Church and Christianity. It
is an insult on Christianity. To say that pastors are
paid to support the President is height of
recklessness. Such allegation is despicable and
should be condemned. There was nothing like that
from us as a party and there was nothing like that
from our candidate,” its National Publicity
Secretary, Olisa Metuh, added.
Reacting, the state Assistant Publicity Secretary of
the PDP, Samuel Nwanosike, challenged Amaechi,
to name the pastors that collected the N6bn.
Nwanosike argued that the allegation was an
indication that the governor had conceded defeat
to Jonathan.
He said, “It shows clearly that Governor Amaechi
has conceded defeat and that Dr. Jonathan has
what it takes to continue as the President of this
country.”
In his remark at the rally, the APC governorship
candidate in the state, Dakuku Peterside, said that
if voted into power on February 28, he would
complete all projects embarked upon by the
Amaechi government.
The candidate also promised to combat insecurity
in the communities.