In an apparent move to mitigate the
effect the shift in the dates of the general elections is having on the
All Progressives Congress Presidential campaign, the APC has embarked on
cost-saving measures for its rallies.
It was learnt in Abuja on Tuesday that
the campaign had opted for other less capital intensive campaign
strategies to deal with the challenge.
Our correspondent learnt that the
campaign had been running on “the goodwill of supporters that have been
making donations in terms of logistics support and less of cash, to
avoid falling a prey to anti-graft agencies.
Although the APC has yet to admit it, the shift in the date of the polls has eaten deep into its lean finances.
A member of the party’s Board of
Trustees, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has, however, dismissed insinuations that
the party had run into financial trouble.
He explained that contrary to
insinuations in some quarters, the APC, unlike other political parties,
had been transformed into a political movement.
Onu said, “We are working very hard and in the weeks to come, you will see the results of our efforts.
“The APC is not just a political party,
it is a movement. That is why people are contributing and our strength
is not in the amount of money that we have, our strength is in the
number of Nigerians who want change. For as long as this desire is
there, there will be change.”
Also speaking on the issue, the Director
of Media and Information Technology of the Buhari Support Organisation,
Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, said, “Our crowd-funding platform is still active
and we are still receiving in flows from there; nothing has stopped. In
any case, I wonder why anybody will say our campaign has been worst hit
by the polls shift because of finance.
“Take for example, on Saturday in Abuja
and other parts of Nigeria we embarked on public sensitisation and
grassroots mobilisation.
“In Abuja, for example, we were in Karu,
Mpape, Gwagwalada, Kubwa and so many other places. We are doing mopping
up campaigns which are cheaper than the capital intensive rallies.
Besides, it is only Yobe and our grand finale in Abuja that are left.
“We have also been having town hall
meetings. Campaign is not only about rallies. We have been having
meetings with relevant stakeholders at home and abroad.”
He further explained that while it was
an open secret that the ruling party was allegedly helping itself to
public funds which it was using to assault the sensibilities of
traumatised Nigerians. He said the APC would never do so.
Maduekwe also said, “It is inhuman to
continue to filter away public funds in the name of campaigns when the
Naira which was exchanging for N150 to $1 is now exchanging for over
N218 to $1. It is a shame.”
Not long ago, the Chairman, Campaigns
Fund Raising Directorate and Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola
(SAN), said the party instructed its lawyers to challenge the shutdown
of some of its fund-raising platforms by the National Communications
Commission.
He explained that the party was left
with no choice but to seek legal redress after an action that was
clearly a breach of constitutional provisions as well as double
standard.
Fashola said the directive to shut the
platform was contained in a letter dated January 19, with reference
number NCC/CAB/GEN/2015/VOL.1/004, which was signed by officials of the
NCC.
He recalled that in 2010, approval was
given to the Jonathan/Sambo Campaign Organisation to raise funds, using
such a platform. However, he said that the APC was being denied the same
right in 2015.
According to him, while the challenge
was on, the directorate was supportive of other initiatives such as the
sale of scratch cards and donations into the designated First Bank Plc
account, which were established long before Buhari became the party’s
presidential candidate.
0 comments :
Post a Comment