The All Progressives Congress (APC) has alleged that opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar is finding it difficult to raise cash to fund his campaign.
APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary Yekini Nabena, in a statement, said Atiku has run out of cash as he expected the party to fund his campaign.
“The presidential candidate expects the party to provide funds for his campaign. This is the Buhari Era, an era of strict accountability and transparency in the use and application of public funds and not the Jonathan Era in 2015 when the national treasury was opened to PDP leaders to prosecute the presidential campaign.
“The party leaders are therefore in serious difficulties and dilemma on how to source funds to run the Atiku Presidential Campaign. Some financers of the party expect that the candidate, should have the financial capacity to run his campaign.
“With the candidate’s expectation that it is the party that will fund his campaign it is now clear that they are at a crossroads and the chickens have come home to roost.
“The anti-corruption agencies should gird their loins and ensure that all sources of campaign fund by the political parties are closely monitored and recover the funds looted during the Jonathan Era.
“Such recovered funds should be applied for the benefits of the poor masses who were denied democracy benefits during the 16years misrule of the PDP.
“It is now clear to the members of the PDP who were deceived into believing that their presidential candidate is a man of stupendous wealth that it is all a mirage, a 419 packaging and that they entered a ‘one chance’ bus.
“As we approach February 2019 when elections will be held in Nigeria, the electorate are becoming more conscious and aware of the deceitful nature of their so-called leaders.
“Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP, is nationally known as a man of immense wealth. Apart from his being a retired officer of the Department of Customs & Excise not above the rank of Deputy Director, and not known to have been an exceptionally successful businessman, his claims to stupendous wealth and source are questionable and lack credibility.
“During the ‘dollar rain’ at the Port Harcourt convention of the Party, he outspent all the other aspirants and easily clinched the party’s presidential candidacy ticket.
“Having emerged without the support of the “Governor General” of the party, who had earlier produced the party’s National Chairman and ordered the party to hold the convention in Port Harcourt, Alhaji Atiku is now on ‘his own’ in bankrolling his campaign.
“The Nigerian electorate has a better alternative— to stick to the clean, honest and transparent leadership of Muhammadu Buhari GCFR who has done so much to ensure better future for them after the 16 years misrule of the PDP.”
