Chidoka: Kukah and I Were Not in US to Lobby for PDP

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

A former Minister of Aviation, Mr. Osita Chidoka, at the weekend, denied travelling to the United States in company of a fiery Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, for a Peoples Democratic Party lobby of US congressional committees.

Chidoka also said to ensure credible elections in 2023, partners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), should encourage the conduct of third-party testing of INEC technology platform to ascertain its robustness, integrity, and performance ahead of the  general election.

Some reports had it that the duo travelled to the US on a lobby mission for the opposition PDP.

But Chidoka, in a chat with THISDAY, denied any such mission, stating, “That is false. There was no such mission.”

He, however, admitted that the duo was billed to attend a conference on Nigeria’s democracy organised by John Hopkins University.

“Kukah and I were billed to attend a conference on Nigeria’s democracy organised by John Hopkins University. I was there but Kukah could not make it. It was a zoom conference watched all over the world. Kukah participated via zoom. Why would anybody say it was a lobby. I can’t understand it,” he said.

The reports alleged that Kukah and Chidoka were on a mission to lobby congressional groups to support the emergence of the PDP in 2023.

The report cited sources that claimed a US-based Nigerian consultant  was coordinating  the lobby. The consultant was allegedly expected to lead them to Nigerian lobby groups in the United States.

The Nigerian lobby groups are also expected to lead them to congressional lobby groups thatwill attend some conferences put together for the purpose on Africa and Nigeria.

“The minister is in support of the emergence of a Southerner as president being a member of PDP himself and from the South-east. They will attend a conference related to African and Nigerian issues,” the source said.

The former minister also stated  that, Mr. Patrick Okigbo of Nextier Consulting, organised the conference.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued yesterday, Chidoka stated that to ensure credible elections in 2023, partners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should encourage the conduct of third-party testing of INEC technology platform to ascertain its robustness, integrity, and performance ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Chidoka stressed that vast improvement in the use of technology by INEC was key to the success of the 2023 election foreshadowed by concerns about national conventions on zoning and equity.