The national chairman of the APC, John Oyegun has said it’s faulty for people to call for probe into the campaign funds of the party – EFCC is currently probing the 2015 presidential election campaign funds of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – Oyegun added that APC did not spend public money to fund its presidential election.
While the All Progressives Congress (APC) led federal government is probing the 2015 presidential election campaign funds of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the national chairman of the APC, John Oyegun has said it’s faulty for people to call for probe into the campaign funds of the party. Recall that EFCC has filed a case against the former National Security Adviser, Dasuki Sambo, for allegedly sharing $2.1 billion originally meant for arms purchase to fund the campaign of former President Goodluck Jonathan, to some party chieftains. Also, the immediate past minister of petroleum resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke, is also being probed by the anti-graft agency for allegedly distributing $115 million during the election.
Oyegun added that APC did not spend public money to fund its presidential election. “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.” Mr Oyegun said the 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,” he said. Speaking further, Oyegun said his party will generate funds internally instead of relying on funds from the president.
According to him, when this was done the party could make between N10 million and N20 million monthly. “We came into office as part of change and as far as our political situation is concerned it means that the party should not be funded from public funds and that is the reality. And so we are making members pay. We have over 12 million registered members of the party and we have all had a system where everyone will pay at least N100 per month to legitimize their membership. “If in our calculation, five of N10 million of these we manage to collect them, at the end of the day we have very little,” he said.
- John Oyegun
