The
All Progressives Congress (APC) has faulted calls for probe into the
funding of its presidential campaign in 2015, which brought President
Muhammadu Buhari to power.
The calls were made by a section of Nigerians against the backdrop of
probe of the source of funding of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
which was ousted from power last year by the APC.
Specifically, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,
alleged that $2.1 billion originally meant for arms purchase to fight
Boko Haram in the Northeast, was diverted by the former National
Security Adviser, NSA, Sambo Dasuki, to fund the re-election of former
President Goodluck Jonathan.
The immediate past Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani
Allison-Madueke, is also being probed by the anti-graft agency for
allegedly distributing $115 million (N23 billion) during the election.
Already, the EFCC has filed several cases against Mr. Dasuki and several
other PDP chieftains, accused of benefitting from the largesse, which
came from the treasury.
However, some Nigerians have said for the anti-corruption campaign of
the present administration to be regarded as impartial and all
encompassing, the funding of APC’s presidential campaign should also be
scrutinized by the anti-graft agency.
For instance, former Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign
Organization and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has been
accused by the PDP of using Rivers State money to oil the political
machinery of the Buhari campaign.
Mr. Amaechi, who was Rivers Governor, spearheaded the APC presidential
campaign that defeated Mr. Jonathan and PDP in the 2015 presidential
campaign.
Speaking on “The Encounter with Constance Ikowu”, a programme on WEFM,
the national chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie- Oyegun said that it was
wrong to ask the EFCC to investigate the sources of funding for the APC
campaign because unlike the PDP, his party did not use public money to
fund its presidential election.
He said, “You are comparing apples and grapes. It is the people’s money.
You can’t use the money of the people to run parties and so the APC
today is suffering from that basic correct policy decision.
“But campaign funds cannot come from the monies that belong to the generality of Nigerians.
“Individuals can donate, and companies can donate subject to limits that
the law provides. We are not touching those. But where you take monies
meant for positioning troops in the North East to fight against Boko
Haram to fund parties (and) the most recent – when you take our crude,
gave unregistered crude to exporters, repatriate the proceeds and use
them to finance your political campaigns – that is wrong. That is
impunity at its worst. So they are not comparable”.
Stating that the PDP campaign funds being investigated by the EFCC was
“just a tip of the iceberg”, Mr. Oyegun clarified that the Buhari-led
APC administration was not probing the donations individuals made to the
PDP during the polls, but the utilization of public funds.
“So don’t link it with the PDP because it has nothing to do with the PDP”, he stressed.
The APC national chairman said the Buhari administration was trying to
lay down principles which must be followed by all with a view to
removing impunity in governance.
“We are laying down the principles that must be established in this
nation. What is going on now is just a tip of the iceberg. There are
certain basic principles we must establish in this nation”.
Oyegun also revealed that there were serving APC governors and
ex-governors under investigation currently but not in connection with
campaign funding as was the case of the PDP.
He, however, stressed that President Buhari would not shield any of the
governors if they were found to have used public monies to fund
campaigns.
“As at today, of course there are APC governors and ex governors that
are under investigation, maybe not in respect or specifically campaign
funds, but there are”, said Mr. Oyegun.
“The basic principle is – impunity must be removed from the system and wherever the tree falls, so let it be!
“I am sure that if that happens, the kind of president that we have will
look the other way. Normal process must take its course”.
On calls for the arrest of Mr. Jonathan, the APC national chairman “I
cannot speak for the government; I can speak for the party. Wherever the
tree falls so be it. I don’t think it will get to that. What is
important is that if you receive stolen goods…..”
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The
Niger Delta Avengers, a new militant group demanding a sovereign state
of the Niger Delta, on Friday said its fighters had blown up a large gas
and crude pipeline operated by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company
(NNPC) near Warri, Delta State late Thursday.
