Dollar versus Dollar
Atiku is easily one of the richest Nigerians, and as a politician, he has never been afraid to spend money. Since time, delegate elections in Nigeria have always witnessed the sharing of money. The struggle to be a delegate is as fierce as contesting for an elective office because of the fringe benefits. The biggest fear in Buhari’s camp was that Atiku could get the ticket by his generosity to delegates.
However, Buhari’s supporters did not go to sleep. On Wednesday morning, a southern governor flew in raw cash, in naira and dollar, to dilute Atiku’s financial influence. Although some delegates were shielded from Atiku, the former vice-president had devised his own way of reaching them. But despite gaining access to most of them, he was outspent in the welfare department.
A delegate told TheCable that he got $2000 from one camp and $3000 from another, and even though he did not reveal who gave the money, he gave a hint: “Pro-Buhari governors were encouraged to take care of their delegates better than Atiku. Our governor took good care of us. To be fair to Buhari, he knew nothing about the welfare distribution.”
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