By Ayo Kehinde
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP are engaged in a war of words over the source of finances and funding of the ruling part’s operations. While the PDP alleges that the APC is funding its activities from corrupt proceeds from its elected and appointed officials, the APC states that its due process and transparency in funding its activities are aptly captured in its 2016 audit report and financial statements.
A recent statement by the ruling All Progressives Congress that compulsory contribution by appointed and elected party officials were sources of the its finances and funding for its coming convention, triggered the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to allege in a reaction that the party was being funded by looted money from the public treasury.
In a statement on Sunday, the PDP said;
“APC is corrupt. Our investigation reveals that many of the APC governors are being coerced under the orders of the presidency and the leadership of the party to move in huge sums of money in cash into the APC coffers, bulk of which have already been frittered away by corrupt leaders in the party and agents of the presidency,” the opposition party said.
“More saddening is that the money is being pulled from funds derived from federal bailouts and other monies budgeted for critical development projects in various communities, many of which have now been stalled, leaving the people deprived and impoverished.
“It is appalling that this is the same party and administration that have been accusing others of corruption and publishing fabricated ‘looters’ lists’ just to deceive Nigerians and divert public attention from their sleazes.”
“PDP therefore challenges the APC to publish the names of the governors, ministers and other APC political office holders, who it claims have already brought in money as well as inform the nation on why they are moving the money in cash contrary to financial regulations, if the source is not proceeds of corrupt activities.
“Up till now, the APC and President Buhari, even in their self-acclaimed transparency and integrity, have refused to open up on the source of funds for their very expensive 2015 presidential campaign, which have been revealed to have been stolen from states under their control. This time, they are again coercing governors to steal money meant for development and payment of salaries to finance their 2019 campaign.”
The party also alleged that the APC plans to take N14 billion from government coffers.
“What many Nigerians are yet to know is that the APC actually plans to rake in a total of N14 billion from government coffers, out of which it has already planned to procure expensive cars for their national officers as well as share to their leaders close to President Buhari.
“Our inquest shows that the N671 million recently reported to have been stolen from APC account by some national officers who allegedly moved the sum to their private accounts is linked to diverted public funds. There is documentary evidence and the APC has failed to offer explanations to Nigeria on that.
“The APC reeks and is completely guilty as it reasonably ought to have known that the funds it has been receiving form part of illegal activities of government officials who have been diverting funds from states and government agencies, particularly the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to fund the wasteful lifestyle of their party leaders and the 2019 re-election bid.”
The APC, in a statement, however claimed that the governors were only asked to pay their dues, some owing as much as N250m, which some of them had defaulted on.
In a statement, Monday, Mallam Bolaji Abdullah, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, said “In reacting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) allegations on the management of the All Progressives Congress (APC) finances and the funding for the Party’s upcoming 2018 National Convention among other unsubstantiated allegations contained in a statement by a spokesman for the PDP, we refer the PDP to the APC’s 2016 published independent audit report and accompanying financial statements.
“In respect of the funding for our upcoming national convention, we also refer the PDP to our earlier issued statement and also invite PDP to note that the APC convention committee has not submitted a budget for the convention.
“Besides, the expenses for the National Convention to elect national officers and the presidential convention are duly captured in our 2018 budget. Therefore, the issue of N6billion convention expenses is neither here nor there.
“While we assure Nigerians that the APC has not adopted the PDP’s practice of dipping their hands into the public till to fund its political activities as brazenly displayed during the 2015 elections, we equally call on the PDP to emulate the APC’s best practice of financial probity and openness by making public their audited reports and financial statements, if they have any.”
