By Ahmed Abubakar
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has refuted claims that the over N21 billion raised by it was to fund the President Jonathan campaigns against the forth coming general elections.
Refuting the claims, the Chairman fund Raising and Contact committee, Professor Jerry Gana yesterday said it would be tantamount to breaking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) law that stipulates a specific amount for the fund of the presidential campaign.
Professor Jerry Gana said part of his mandate was to mobilise fund for the completion of PDP projects, fund the campaigns of the PDP and according to him, “there is a specific focus on the incomplete PDP permanent Headquarters”.
Gana said: “This administration of the party under our able chairman resolved that we must complete this project so that we can move here and so part of the preparations for this year’s campaign is for us to raise funds and i had the honour of leading a very distinguished team of Nigerians to prepare for the fund raising.
“We raised about N21billion on that day and the purpose of this press conference is to say that right from the start, we were raising money for the PDP and the project of the party, the documents and letters said so, the speeches confirmed it and during the day of the fund raising, in my own speech and the speech of the Vice President who happens to be an Architect, suggests there was a specific focus on this building that this is one project we want to complete.
He explained that, “The VP being an architect gave graphic details of where we were on this project and how we desired to go ahead and therefore, the central aim of the fundraising is to empower the party to complete this building and other project”.
“The second is to empower the party to campaign for its candidate not for the President alone but for others and the Presidential candidate has the right and he is going to use that his right to raise fund for his campaign quietly.
He further explained that insinuations making the rounds that monies collected were targeted at fueling the presidential campaign is not true as the central aim of the fund raising was to complete the PDP national headquarters.
He said, “The money was not raised specifically for a particular candidate of the party, as there are also other candidates for governorship and other elective offices”.
He said,” the President in his capacity has the right to quietly raise fund for his campaigns from his friends across the globe”.
“I am not the chairman of that fund raising team but I am sure the president will appoint somebody and I am sure they are already working hard and being a humble Nigerian, he wants to do it quietly and people will donate to him, people who believe in his victory as the candidate of the PDP”.
“So, we want to make it clear that the money raised was for the PDP and a substantial part of it will be for the completion of this building”.
“As already noted, we need over N10billion to conclude it and so, even if we raise and we hope that we are going to raise more, half of the money is already going to be for the building and other projects”.
“So, we want to lay to rest all the permutations and the discussions and all what is going on in the media about we raising more than the law allows for our candidate, that is not the correct position”.
“We set out to raise funds for PDP project and the committee worked so hard and we succeeded. The committee did much more than we expected”.
“Those who are thinking they will take over from the PDP have to think again because PDP is ever ready and the elections for us are going to be free because we are democrats. Nigerians will decide who their leaders will be”.
“I want to appeal to all our leaders both in PDP and in the other parties that as leaders, we must ensure peace and stability in the nation, we must not preach violence, we must not indicate violence, we must not make violence part of our political culture, democracy is the rule of the people, by the people and for the people, we should allow the people to choose freely.”, he said.
He further stated that, “Nigerians are watching those who want to intimidate, those who want to coerce and leaders who feels, if it is not their way, then the whole thing should scatter.”.
“Nigerians are excellent decisions makers and I am sure they will vote for someone with integrity and someone who desires peace for Nigeria”, he explained.
The PDP national headquarters would gulp over N16 billion on completion, however, need the sum of N10.5 billion to complete after an initial payment of N6 billion made to the contractor handling the project.
