• Postpones inauguration of campaign committee
Sixteen days after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) raised the sum of N21 billion to allegedly further the campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan in the February 14 presidential election, the party yesterday clarified that the money was not for the presidential campaign alone.
The reversal might not be unconnected with the uproar the raised sum generated in the polity as many said it was an abuse of the electoral laws as it clearly overshot the stipulated amount that can be utilised for the presidential election.
Until a former Minister of Information, Prof Jerry Gana’s explanation on Monday, many PDP chieftains like Chief Ebenezer Babatope had defended and justified the donations towards President Jonathan’s re-election bid.
Also, Gana said the February 14 presidential election would be decided by Nigerians and not through the instigation of violence by those he described as bad losers.
Refuting the claims on the N21 billion, Gana, who is also the chairman of the fundraising and contact committee, said it would be tantamount to breaking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) law that stipulates a specific amount for the presidential campaign.
Gana said part of his mandate was to mobilise funds for the completion of PDP projects, fund the campaigns of the PDP and according to him, “there is a specific focus on the uncompleted PDP permanent headquarters.”
He explained that the insinuations making the rounds that monies collected were targeted at fuelling the presidential campaign was not true as the central aim of the fundraising was to complete the PDP national headquarters.
He said: “The money was not raised specifically for a particular candidate of the party, as there are also other candidates for governorship and other elective offices. The president in his capacity has the right to quietly raise funds for his campaigns from his friends across the globe.
“We raised about N21billion on that day and the purpose of this press conference is to say that right from the start, we were raising money for the PDP and the project of the party, the documents and letters said so, the speeches confirmed it and during the day of the fundraising, in my own speech and the speech of the vice-president who happens to be an architect, there was a specific focus on this building that this is one project we want to complete.
“The vice-president being an architect gave graphic details of where we were on this project and how we desired to go ahead and therefore, the central aim of the fundraising is to empower the party to complete this building and other projects and state that the N21 billion is not for the presidential campaigns.”
On the forthcoming presidential election, Gana said: “Those who are thinking they will take over from the PDP have to think again because PDP is ever ready and the elections for us are going to be free because we are democrats. Nigerians will decide who their leaders will be.”
According to him, “I want to appeal to all our leaders both in PDP and in the other parties that we must ensure peace and stability in the nation; we must not preach violence; we must not indicate violence; we must not make violence part of our political culture. Democracy is the rule of the people, by the people and for the people; we should allow the people to choose freely.
“Nigerians are watching those who want to intimidate, those who want to force and leaders who feel, if it is not their way, then the whole thing should scatter.
Nigerians are excellent decision makers and I am sure they will vote for someone with integrity and someone who desires peace for Nigeria. The PDP national headquarters would gulp over N16 billion on completion. However, we need the sum of N10.5 billion to complete it after an initial payment of N6 billion made to the contractor handling the project.
Meanwhile, the planned inauguration of President Jonathan’s Campaign Organisation slated for yesterday was shelved ostensibly in deference to the death of the president’s younger sister who passed on last Sunday.
The Political Adviser to the president, Prof. Rufai Alkali, said the forced postponement was due to the demise of the younger sister of Jonathan, Mrs. Nancy Jonathan-Olei.
Alkali disclosed this at the Legacy House, Abuja where dignitaries had already taken their seats for the commencement of the inauguration ceremony.
“As you are all aware, His Excellency lost his sister, Mrs. Nancy Jonathan-Olei, yesterday (Sunday).
“In view of this, he has decided to suspend this inauguration for today until tomorrow at 11 a.m.
“Mr. President has asked me to convey his apologies for the inconveniences this postponement has caused and to tell you it was due to circumstances beyond our control,” Akali said.
Source: Thisday
No comments:
Post a Comment