•Its’ not true, says Oyegun
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Fresh facts emerged yesterday over the financial crisis threatening the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Part of the reasons include the failure of National Assembly members and the ministers to pay their statutory monthly dues to the party and the alleged refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to finance the party.
A source at the party headquarters in Abuja told Daily Sun that while the ministers and senators are levied N100,000 monthly, members of the House of Representatives will pay N70,000 each monthly, according to the charter of the party.
Lamenting the development, the source maintained that apart from Senators that paid just three times and the Minister of State for Works, Mustapha Baba Shauri, who paid N500,000, others have not done anything since June 2015 when APC took over power.
However, reacting, to the claim, the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, disagreed, stressing, “the Senate has started contributing regularly every month.
“The contributions caught across all elected public officials by the party. It is a law that borders on the constitution of the party. They all know that there is the need to raise fund for the party,” without confirming whether President Buhari is actually supporting the party financially or not.
While admitting that the party is facing financial crisis, a party insider revealed that it is equally becoming very difficult raising the overhead for the national officers to execute activities due to the reluctance of governors to also support the party financially.
“The financial situation is so bad now that the party is even struggling to get the overhead. The overhead, which is not an income, is not even enough considering the financial commitment of the national officers. They have aides, logistics and even fuelling their official vehicles. It would have been better if they have fixed allowances given to each of them.
“It is even worse now that the expenditure profile is in the average of N100 million monthly. The party is struggling to get the overhead because some governors that are supposed to pick the bills are not co-operating. Yes, the funds don’t come direct, but in the form of the governors bankrolling the visits of the national officers to their states.
“In fact, the financial problem of the party came from the decision of Mr President not allegedly supporting the party financially because, according to him, he doesn’t want to make the mistake in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). True to his word, nothing has come to the party from the Presidency since June, 2015 when the party took over power,” he said.
Lamenting the situation, the source said: “It is not possible for any ruling party to survive serious financial demands with only the funds from the sale of nomination forms.
“The crisis at the National Assembly equally contributed because party members that are supposed to pay N100,000 or N70,000 monthly for Senators and House of Representatives members respectively are not forthcoming. Only the Senators paid for just three times since June, 2015 when the party took over power”, he said.