A press statement signed by Mukhatar Zubairu Sirajo, on Senator Makafi’s behalf, following Dokunbo’s allegations made in an interview with and published by the Sun Newspaper on Saturday, said:
Our attention has been drawn to an interview granted the Sun newspaper by Alhaji Asari Dokunbo and published on Saturday March 3 2018, in which he alleged, among other things that Senator Ahmed Makarfi voted for the APC in the 2015 presidential elections and that he (Makarfi) flaunted his ballot paper for all to see.
Ordinarily, this is a statement we shouldn’t dignify with a response, but realising that sometimes uncontroverted falsehoods have a way of taking a life of their own and also knowing that it is not beyond some unscrupulous politicians to splash mud on the integrity of others in order to gain undue advantage, we wish to state the following:
A. That statement is false in all ramifications; in fact given that Makarfi is not an obscure politician, having been Governor of Kaduna State for eight years and following that up with another eight at the Senate and capping those up leading the PDP at a very tumultuous period which was charaterised by acrimonious leadership struggle; isn’t it amazing that this could happen in 2015 and be buried till now?
Moreover, from 1999 to 2015, Senator Makarfi, never skipped voting in any election; yet he has never been reported by any medium to have ever displayed his ballot paper to advertise his preference. We leave this judgment to the people.
B. Senator Makarfi has remained a PDP man to the core, sticking with the party through thick and thin and maintaining his faith in it even at a time when defection was the easy way out.
C. He has never hidden his gratitude to the PDP for the platform and opportunity it has afforded him to become what he has become and has never, for a second, on account of any slight he felt he suffered or for any other reason, even toyed with the idea of abandoning it let alone teaming up with others to bring it to ruination.
D. Asari Dokubo is a free Nigerian with all the attendant rights to pursue any legitimate undertaking, political or otherwise, including pitching his tent with any politician or tendency, but those do not include the fabrication and peddling of lies to impugn the integrity of others.
E. Having discerned where he is coming from, by his own admission, we wish to assure him and all, that we have nothing but respect for all members of the PDP family, aspirants or otherwise and wish them well. And it is our desire and hope that we all close ranks and collectively confront the challenges ahead.
F. We call on all PDP leaders, members and supporters to maintain their eyes on the ball, by refusing to be distracted from the bigger picture, which is returning the party to power so that Nigerians can, once again, heave a sigh of relief. This we can do only by ensuring that we play politics of issues and forging a united front, without compromising decency, respect and love for our party and country.
