Democratic Party Fund-raising Committee, Prof. Jerry Gana, has said
the controversial N21.8b donated to the ruling party by individuals,
serving governors and private consortium at a recent Fund-raising
event held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja about a month ago was
not meant for the presidential campaign of President Goodluck Jonathan
alone.
The donation, which came even from governors of the party who have not
been able to pay salaries of civil servants in their states up till
now, had received condemnation across the country.
The main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress and eminent
individuals in the country, including Seniors Advocates of Nigeria,
have expressed concern over the donation, which was done inside the
Presidential Villa.
Some said it was an infraction on the 2010 Electoral Act, (as
amended), while others said the names of the donours must be made
public.
In response to these accusations, the National Secretary of the party,
Prof. Wale Oladipo had told THE PUNCH in an exclusive interview that
the party had the right to raise funds for its campaigns.
He said the donations were within the law.
But addressing journalists in Abuja on Monday, Gana who spoke in the
midst of members of the party's fund-raising committee, said the
abandoned site of the party's permanent site, would also benefit from
the money.
Gana spoke at the party's permanent site located at the Central Area of Abuja.
He said the purpose of the fund-raising was also to raise money for
the completion of the party's permanent site and not for Presidential
campaign alone.
Gana said, "This administration of the party under our able chairman
resolved that we must complete this project so that we can move there
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 N21 billion 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, there was a specific focus on this
building, that this is one project we want to complete.
"The Vice-President being an architect gave graphic details of where
we were on this project and how we desire to be, therefore, the
central aim of the fund-raising is to empower the party to complete
this building and other projects.
"The second is of course, to empower the party to campaign for its
candidates, not for the President alone but for others. The
Presidential candidate has the right to raise fund for his campaign
quietly.
"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, 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."
He said that N10 billion was needed for the completion of the party's
permanent site.
According to him, "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 us 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."
--PUNCH
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