…Says party won’t sanction gladiators over budget padding scandal
From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC), has revealed that it has the capacity to generate a whopping N1.27 billion from the registration of its members as part of the measures to raise funds to tackle financial challenges facing the ruling party.
The party’s Deputy National Chairman, North, Lawali Shuaibu, who made the disclosure in a chat with journalists at the headquarters of the party on Thursday, said that they will generate the fund from the over 2.7 million registered members in the party’s database.
While commenting on the funding of the party, the party chieftain said: “For your information, the party has very credible source of funding. Every member of APC in this country shall pay N100 annually. We have over 12.7 million registered members on our database so far.
“There are still others waiting for us to commence fresh registration by opening our portal. Assuming the number we have our database pay, if you multiple N100 per member by 12.7 registered members, you know what the party will realise. So, we have our source of funding,” he said.
On the possibility of current hardship in Nigeria affecting the party’s fortunes in 2019, he said: “You are talking of hardship just one year into the administration of the party, and people are expecting magic. They forgot the 16 years of destruction by the former ruling party.
“People are busy talking of hardship but they are the same people that pleaded and prayed to God to send somebody to come and correct these things and save the situation. It is not fair that people expect it to happen overnight. All we ask for is patience,” he noted.
Admitting that the party is encountering some challenges, the party leader said: “The challenges facing the party are already in the public domain and they range from the problem at the National Assembly to the impressions media have branded the party.
On whether Nigerians should expect sanctions from the party for the gladiators of the budget padding scandal, he said: “To start with, what is budget padding. The party does not sanction anybody except when a member contravenes sections of the party constitution in his conduct. That is why I referred you to the relevant section of the party constitution.
“For your information, the party is not a law enforcement organisation.
“People are claiming that we want to sweep something under the carpet, we will not, but we cannot do those things in public or market place. We do it in the party secretariat,” he said.
The party leader equally spoke on the lingering date for the planned midterm convention, stressing: “It will soon hold but it is a midterm convention, we are waiting for the committee looking at the party constitution.
“The most important thing we want to do at the convention is to affect some amendments to the constitution. After having operated it for two years, we have found where it is inadequate and we want to bring it to perfection,” he said.
Source
