National Chairman of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu has alleged a contravention of the provision of the Electoral Act by President Goodluck Jonathan with the reported donation of over N500 million by some state governors to fund his re-election campaign.
In effect, the party boss who had earlier addressed newsmen on the impropriety of the development, in an interview with Daily Sun at the weekend was asking for sanction by the electoral authorities against President Jonathan for flouting the extant electoral laws to preserve the nation’s democracy from being bastardized by those who were supposed to be the custodians.
According to him, “it amounts to underhand dealing and betrayal of public trust for the president and the governors to help themselves with public fund to fund a re-election project when other contestants are busy sourcing for personal funds to prosecute their political ambitions.”
Onu had claimed that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that some six governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) donated over N500 million to the president campaign organization. He then demanded a full enquiry and that both the president and the governors should be sanctioned to serve as deterrent to others, who had given themselves to derailing the electoral process.
He described the development as a disturbing one and a national embarrassment, which the party find objectionable, adding: “Our great party is desirous of getting to the root of this matter. We are inclined to do so because the very foundation of our democracy is in danger. We will like to know whether such huge sums of money were appropriated in the budget estimates of the affected states.
“The ANPP will want Nigerians to demand to know the whole truth about this latest attempt to erode the democratic process. If it is true, we urge Nigerian to be prepared to go to court to ensure that all those who offend the law, especially in this matter, are brought to book.”
While asking the attorney general of the federation to urgently constitute an independent investigation committee to unravel the truth about “this national embarrassment,” he advised him to realize that his loyalty should be to the country and not the government in power.
He said: “The danger we face in this country in the prevailing circumstance is that the electoral process can be abused and compromised even before the elections begin. The Electoral Act is very clear in terms of the limit of expenditure for those seeking election into public offices. The new ANPP believes that no one should be above the law.
“We cannot continue this way. The new ANPP demands a full inquiry into this disturbing development. N500 million from the treasury of a state government to fund a presidential campaign shows a disturbing insensitivity to the present level of underdevelopment and poverty in our country.”
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