Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, has alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, are facing serious difficulties raising funds for the 2019 presidential election campaigns.
Nabena, in a statement he signed on Tuesday in Abuja, attributed the difficulty in raising the fund to the stringent measures put in place by present administration, claiming that the opposition party is in a dilemma on how to source funds to prosecute the Atiku Presidential Campaign.
The APC deputy spokesperson emphasised that available information from the PDP’s recent strategy meeting in Dubai, United Arab Emirate (UAE) confirmed major setback in the hope of sourcing campaign funds from the public coffers.
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“The Presidential Candidate expects the party to provide funds for his campaign. But, this is the Buhari era, an era of strict accountability and transparency in the use and application of public funds and not the Jonathan era in 2015 when the national treasury was opened to the PDP leaders to prosecute the Presidential campaign.
“The party leaders are therefore in serious difficulties and dilemma on how to source funds to run the Atiku Presidential Campaign. Some financiers of the party expect that the candidate, having bought the ticket with millions of dollars should have the financial capacity to run his campaign.
“With the candidate’s expectation that it is the party that will fund his campaign it is now clear that they are at a crossroads and the chickens have come home to roost.
“The anti-corruption agencies should gird their loins and ensure that all sources of campaign fund by the political parties are closely monitored and recover the funds looted during the Jonathan era.
“Such recovered funds should be applied for the benefits of the poor masses who were denied democracy benefits during the 16 years misrule of the PDP.
“It is now clear to the members of the PDP who were deceived into believing that their presidential candidate is a man of stupendous wealth that it is all a mirage, a 419 packaging and that they entered a ‘one chance’ bus.
“As we approach February 2019 general elections, the electorate are becoming more conscious and aware of the deceitful nature of their so-called leaders.
“Atiku is nationally known as a man of immense wealth. Apart from his being a retired officer of the Customs & Excise not above the rank of Deputy Director, and not known to have been an exceptionally successful businessman, his claims to stupendous wealth and source are questionable and lack credibility.
“During the “dollar rain” at the Port Harcourt party Convention, he outspent all the other aspirants and easily clinched the party’s presidential ticket.
“Having emerged without the support of the “Governor General” of the party, who had earlier produced the party’s National Chairman and ordered the party to hold the convention in Port Harcourt, Alhaji Atiku is now on ‘his own’ in bankrolling his campaign.
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“The electorate has a better alternative to stick to the clean, honest and transparent leadership of Muhammadu Buhari who has done so much to ensure better future for them after the 16 years misrule of the PDP,” the statement read.
However, in a swift reaction, the spokesman to the former Vice President, Paul Ibe, dismissed the APC’s insinuation, stressing that the forthcoming presidential election will not about financial muscle, but the supreme will of the Nigerians people.
According to Ibe; “nothing can stop an idea whose time has come. Nothing can stop the zeal of Nigerians to elect the President of their choice.
“This election will not be won by money, lies, propaganda or intimidation, but by the supreme will of the Nigerian people as expressed in their vote.
“Atiku will be elected as President by Nigerians in February 2019 notwithstanding the machinations of the APC-led administration,” he insisted.