As the clock ticks in geometrical progression to the February/March 2019 general elections, with Presidential and National Assembly campaigns beginning November 18, one of the most disturbing issues before the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is how the party will fund its campaign.
Most of the moneybags who bankrolled APC campaign in 2015 have either left the party or feel aggrieved because they were not adequately rewarded after the elections so as give back when campaigns begin.
In the campaign ahead of the 2015 general elections, APC, even though an opposition party then, spent money almost shoulder to shoulder with the then ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). APC was said to have spent over N50 billion on campaign, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, currently the presidential candidate of PDP, reportedly contributing about 5 percent of the money, while the then Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, and Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola made substantial contributions.
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Also, Senate President Bukola Saraki made a substantial contribution, while Bola Ahmed Tinubu, APC national leader, coordinated monies from other APC governors, namely, Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State, Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State, Mohammed Gaidam of Yobe State, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, Kashim Shettima of Borno State, Abdufattah Ahmed of Kwara State, Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State, Tanko Almakura of Nasarawa State, former governors, National Assembly members and other party stalwarts.
In its recent audit report filed by Mai-Alheri and Co., however, APC said it spent only N2.9 billion in the 2015 general elections and derived its income from the sale of nomination forms which generated N329.5 million, and donations and gifts which generated N275 million.
As the party in power, APC should not have to struggle to get campaign funds, going by previous experience in Nigeria’s political history. However, political analysts say the ruling party might struggle to fund its campaign given President Muhammadu Buhari’s reported refusal to open the national purse to finance electioneering campaigns. Moreover, they add, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy, which ensures that all monies accrued to the government are channelled into a single account, limits the amount parastatals and their heads have at their disposals to contribute to APC’s campaign.
It is a well-known fact that in the past, heads of parastatals and agencies had made huge contributions to the campaign fund of the ruling party, either on their behalf or on behalf of their agencies.
But now, according to an APC insider who does not want to be named, the party will fund the 2019 general elections through monies derived from sale of nomination forms, projected at N5.86 billion, fundraising (N3.45 billion), membership dues (N4.2 billion), sale of party cards (N1.0 billion), and levies on elected/appointed officeholders (N0.304 billion), amounting to a total of N14.8 billion.
BDSUNDAY checks, however, revealed that APC actually netted N12.6 billion from the sale of nomination forms to presidential, National Assembly and governorship aspirants, but a large chunk of the money has been expended on the conduct of party primaries and convention as well as other logistics ahead of the 2019 polls.
The APC source, who observed that the money left in the party’s kitty is grossly inadequate compared to the opposition PDP’s formidability and financial buoyancy, said the party would, nonetheless, device means of getting campaign funds.
“Governors, for instance, will be prevailed upon to pay their annual dues of N200 million each and donate at least another N150 million, and each minister as well as senator on APC platform will be made to donate N100 million in addition to their annual dues. APC House of Representatives members and other appointees must pay various sums ranging from N50 million to N100 million each,” the source said.
Another party chieftain told BDSUNDAY that with President Buhari’s demonstrable unwillingness to fund the APC campaign from the national treasury, the ruling party would have to be creative in sourcing funds to run its campaigns.
Though the chieftain did not disclose the creative means he talked about, pseudo organisations have since emerged under the banner of Buhari Campaign Organization, requesting money from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) via contracts. This, BDSUNDAY reckons, could be one of such creative means.
For instance, there were allegations that Buhari Campaign Organisation has fraudulently collected over N60 billion from different ministries and agencies of government through pseudo companies to fund the president’s re-election campaign in 2019.
According to the content of a leaked letter by Good Governance Awareness Campaign Group of the Buhari Campaign Organization, the following private companies were used to illegally obtain contracts from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to fund the President Buhari’s re-election campaign: Heridam Worldwide Limited, Maysu Construction Ltd, Honeygate Engineering Company Ltd, Extended Global Services Limited, Ajibako Multi Links Nigeria Limited, Maizamam Multi Resource Limited, Authentic Consulting Firm Limited, and Teamdek Ventures Nigeria Limited.
In a letter addressed to the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Power, Works and Housing dated September 20, received and acknowledged September 21, the campaign group proposed for the ‘Supply and Installation of Road Signs along Federal Highways’.
The organization requested the ministry to give it some slots to cushion the financial pressure on it as it intended to move the campaign trail to the grassroots in the six geo-political zones of the country.
It was also learnt that the campaign organization has been using the president’s re-election to get contracts from different MDAs without following due process.
This came barely a week after allegations that Festus Keyamo, spokesperson of the Buhari Campaign Organization, collected N450 million from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the president’s re-election.
Keyamo, however, distanced the Buhari Campaign Organization from such activities, saying the report was the handiwork of saboteurs and should be disregard by Nigerians.
“It used to be the case during the era of PDP at the centre that election periods are always seen as time for bazaar and jamboree when the public treasury is opened for soothsayers, witchdoctors, fraudsters, prostitutes, party loyalists, and all kinds of funny characters to feast upon,” Keyamo said in his reaction to the NNPC saga.
“Between January and the time of the elections in 2015, the PDP opened the treasury and withdrew one hundred billion naira (N100,000,000,000.00) that was shared to all kinds of characters. It is this same tendency they exhibited and still have that they now attempt to attribute to us.
“If anything at all, the experience of the loss of the PDP in 2015 has taught everyone a bitter lesson: the sharing of money does not win elections and we do not intend to go that route. We shall continue to showcase the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari to convince Nigerians that he deserves a second term in office,” he said.
On the contract scam allegation, Keyamo said, “Let it be known to the general public and all unsuspecting individuals and organizations that the said letter DID NOT emanate from President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation nor was it authorized by it.
“The said ‘Buhari Campaign Organisation’ does not have the authority or mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari to solicit or raise funds from public institutions, corporate bodies or individuals for any campaign activity whatsoever. This is also a notice to all such public institutions not to honour any such requests as the one from the amorphous ‘Buhari Campaign Organisation’.
“As previously announced, the ONLY approved campaign organisation of the President is the President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation headed by His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi as the Director-General. A Campaign Council would also be announced in due course.
“We also wish to reiterate for the umpteenth time that President Muhammadu Buhari and his campaign organisation WILL NOT have recourse to the public coffers or public funds to run the campaign. We intend to make a complete departure from past practices of the main opposition where they looted the public treasury to run their campaigns.
“We also wish to use this opportunity to inform all Buhari support groups to get in touch with the Campaign Headquarters of President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation at Plot 718 Herbert Macaulay Way, Central Business District, Abuja in order for their activities to be streamlined.
“We shall not tolerate any individual or groups, purporting to act on behalf of the President, going round ministries, corporate bodies or individuals to raise funds for the campaign. Such individual or groups would be handed over to law-enforcement agencies.”
James Kwen, Abuja
