KOWA Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) have denied endorsing President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for a second term during Saturday’s nationwide ballot. Both parties went a step ahead to re-affirm their adoption of the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

KOWA’s National Chairman’s name, Saidu Bobboi, and his signature were published as among party national chairmen who signed a full-page advertorial in today’s edition of ThisDay newspaper endorsing Buhari. However, the National Headquarters of the party has come out strongly against the endorsement through a statement issued by the party’s National Secretary, Comrade Mark Adebayo, in Abuja.

The statement reads in part: “It has come as a rude shock to the Party’s National Executive Committee of KOWA Party that the party’s name was published as among political parties purported to have endorsed the incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari for second term. KOWA Party was never and will never be part of such thoughtless and shameless contraption of endorsement. As far we are concerned it fake news!

“We urge all KOWA Party members and supporters across the country and Diaspora to completely disregard such sociopolitical sacrilege against the noble spirit and cause that KOWA Party represents. KOWA Party will never support the complete failure that the Buhari government represents. That was why the party joined the Coalition of United Political Parties and has actively participated in all its activities leading up to the emergence of Ex-VP Atiku Abubakar as coalition candidate. KOWA Party remains an integral part of the CUPP and cannot, just a few days to the presidential election, commit such an irresponsible and ridiculous volte face to endorse a government we have consistently criticised for the aggravated backwardness, insecurity, unprecedented corruption, arrogant nepotism, cluelessness and cabal domination as attested to even by Mrs. Aisha Buhari, the president’s wife. KOWA Party is standing on solid abutments of honor and ideological integrity that can’t just be rubbished so brazenly and shamelessly. We therefore strongly and unequivocally dissociate the Party from the endorsement of President Muhammadu Buhari.”

Responding to a telephone interview on the matter when he was asked what would become of the N100 million each allegedly collected by the endorsing parties, Comrade Mark Adebayo replied: “Well, if anybody collected N100 million to endorse Buhari he or she did so at his/her own peril, not on behalf of KOWA Party. Those who gave the money know who collected such cursed money from them and know how to recover their corrupted money. No such amount or any amount for that matter for such shameful action was credited into KOWA Party’s account. The creditors must surely know who their debtor is.”

Similarly, SDP has frowned at a pro-Buhari statement purportedly issued on behalf of its party which claimed to have been issued after a National Executive Committee (NEC) Meeting, arguing that majority of the members of the NEC were not in attendance.

SDP stated that the release signed by Mr Yemi Akinbode (who is not even a member of the NEC) falsely claimed that SDP had resolved to support President Buhari because of the impasse and controversy arising from the claim and legal actions by Mr. Donald Duke and Professor Jerry Gana.

A statement signed by Chief Supo Shonibare, National Vice-Chairman & Chairman, South West Executive Committee, and Hon Leke Mabinuori, Assistant National Secretary & Secretary, South West Executive Committee, said: “It is untenable to suggest that a party which has consistently aligned itself with the opposition parties, and was indeed one of the founding members of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) could have suddenly developed a preference for the ruling party.”

The party therefore directed all party members to ignore the endorsement and to mobilize both party members and the general public to vote massively for the joint candidate of the CUPP opposition parties – Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The statement further said: “This directive is premised on Alhaji Atiku’s acceptance of a template for fiscal and political restructuring to devolve to the States all functions of government that are not the exclusive prerogative of obligations under international treaties or common services of States, and on our belief that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will be able to effectively address the economic, security and political challenges facing the polity.”

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