THE Presidency and groups backing the presidential aspiration of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) were at each other’s throats, yesterday, over the sum of N21.27bn raised at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign fund-raising dinner.
The Buhari Support Organizations, BSO, the umbrella body of all support groups for the Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC in 2015 election, said that the power sector in Nigeria has turned worse under President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that PDP fund-raising gathering should have devoted itself to finding a solution to the problem.
Countering, the Presidency said the suggestion that the money raised at the PDP fund-raising dinner be used to fund national power projects portrays the APC party as an unserious, unfocused and defective organisation with no reasonable alternative solutions to the nation’s problems.
The exchanges came as some eminent Nigerians flayed the fund-raising, saying that it was insensitive, given the prevailing austerity in the country.
PDP has failed Nigerians—APC
Commenting on the fund raising, the Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the PDP has failed Nigerians.
Its Publicity Secretary, Mr Joe Igbokwe said: “How much did they raise to fight Boko Haram? How much money did they raise to fight unemployment? How much money did those people raise to build security architecture in Nigeria? How much money did they raise to build our schools and hospitals? How much money did they raise to build our roads? I can ask you 20 questions about this money; they are just bringing out the missing $20 billion about which the Emir of Kano complained as former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN. Where will someone get N5 billion from? If you give Nigerians all the money in the world, we will not get to the moon because it takes expertise. In the same vein, give PDP all the money in the world, it cannot win the 2015 general elections.
However, the Presidency described the comment as a display of ignorance. Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, in a statement yesterday, said: “Even though we have always known them to be a party with no clear direction, we never thought they could descend so low in exhibiting clear mischief and folly on a critical national issue.
“We wish to reiterate that this government and the PDP will not engage in a dubious practice of collecting money from private individuals and corporate organisations for a purpose only to divert such money to other purposes.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the power reform programme initiated by President Jonathan is not run on a knee-jerk finance arrangement. It is a properly envisioned road map which is being diligently executed in line with best global practices. The power reform programme is being funded through our national budgets and foreign direct investments running into several billions of dollars.
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