TheCable

Femi Fani-Kayode, director of media and publicity, PDP presidential campaign, has alleged that Muhammadu Buhari received the questions he answered last week at Chatham House two days ahead, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) spent N5 billion for the outing.

Buhari delivered a speech titled ‘Prospects for Democratic Consolidation in Africa: Nigeria’s Transition’ and responded to questions from his audience in a manner that has drawn widespread acclaim.

But speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Fani-Kayode said Buhari went to the United Kingdom for medical reasons and that the address at Chatham House was a mere cover-up.

“The information at our disposal indicates that no less than N5 billion was budgeted for the London jamboree,” he said.

“The questions that were asked were given to him two days before the event and the answers were prepared for him and given to him to rehearse.

“The programme lasted for only 55 minutes and only five questions, which were all planted, were asked. The people in the hall were sponsored.”

According to Fani-Kayode, majority of those in the hall were Nigerian students studying in the Republic of Ireland on a scholarship by the Rivers state government and they were ‘threatened that their scholarships would be withdrawn if they refused to participate in the rally”.

He challenged APC to prove that his statements were false and also criticised the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA), for allowing APC to use its premises for the programme.

“We challenge the APC and its leaders to contradict this information,” he said.

“The ‘arrangee’ Chatham House event is another ploy, like the purported London interview, to hoodwink Nigerians and prevent General Buhari from debating in Nigeria. But we insist, General Buhari must debate in Nigeria.

“This is the show of shame that Gen. Buhari has got himself involved in. Sadly, Chatham House offered its prestigious platform to sell a bad product to the world.

“The fact of the matter is that he went ahead to truncate that democratic journey and took Nigerians through the darkest period of the most primitive and barbaric form of military rule.

“If he were in South America or Pakistan he would have been either jailed or hung for what he did to the Nigerian people 31 years ago.”