Dumebi Kachikwu, presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), says Kingsley Moghalu, former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has smeared his (Kachikwu) reputation and that of the party.
Speaking on Tuesday during an interview with Channels Television, Kachikwu said Moghalu induced party stakeholders financially during the primaries.
Last Tuesday, Kachikwu clinched the ADC presidential ticket ahead of Moghalu and Chukwuka Monye who were favourites.
Kachikwu polled 977 votes, while Moghalu, his closest challenger, got 589 votes, and Monye came third with 339 votes.
On Monday, Moghalu announced his resignation from the party, citing poor conduct of the presidential primary for his move. He described the primaries as “political corruption of a most obscene order,”
Reacting to the claim of financial inducement made by Moghalu, the presidential candidate denied paying delegates, and alleged that it was the former CBN deputy governor who induced some party chairmen.
The presidential candidate also said the party will forward a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the alleged financial inducement.
He noted that Moghalu tarnish his image and that of the party with his allegation of monetisation of the primary.
“I’m extremely dismayed that Kingsley, someone who I believe is honourable, will defame not only myself but by inference, he defamed my party,” he said.
“He defamed the delegates and desecrated the process that brought me as a candidate. We worked very hard. As a politician, I understood that this was a delegate election.
“In a delegate election, you bring yourself before the delegates. I was meeting the delegates on a zonal basis. Kingsley was not meeting the delegates. Kingsley was having meetings with three people per state. I was meeting an average of 30 to 40 people per state. The delegates knew me, so they came there knowing who I was.
“He did not know these people, then he inferred that I paid the delegates. As a party leader, I have to defend my party.
“I have asked the party to forward a petition to the EFCC immediately because the state chairmen who he actually paid for their votes are now forwarding details of that payment to the party to say how Kingsley paid them N1 million through an Eco Challenge account.
“They are all forwarding the details because we want to take it up. We don’t want a situation where someone loses an election and then the person will defame. We have asked the legal adviser of our party to forward the petition to the EFCC, because the state chairmen are accusing him of actually trying to buy their votes.
“He sent N1 million each to some state chairmen and some people he gave cash on the morning of the primary. For someone who did that and defamed my party and me, it’s absolutely wrong. I did not pay a dime. I worked very hard. I went into the primary that very day believing I was going to lose.”