The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday, defended the over N21 billion it realized during last year’s fund raising for President Goodluck Jonathan campaigns ahead of next month’s presidential election, saying that N10 billion would be channeled towards the completion of the abandoned permanent secretariat of the party.

According to the party, part of the money would also be used to fund other projects of the party across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

Addressing newsmen yesterday at the uncompleted secretariat located at the Central District, Abuja, Chairman Fund Raising Committee of the party, Professor Jerry Gana, said it would be tantamount to going contrary to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s law, which stipulates a specific amount of fund for presidential campaigns, for PDP to spend N21 billion on the presidential election, adding “there is a specific focus on the incomplete PDP permanent headquarters.”

Funds distribution
Gana further said that part of the money would be used for campaigns in the 774 local governments councils and the various wards and units, while the rest would be used to run the campaigns for the President, the governorship candidates and other aspirants as the fund was not raised specifically for a particular candidate of the party.

Gana explained that insinuations making the rounds that money collected was for the presidential campaign was false as the central aim of the fund raising was to complete PDP National headquarters.

‘’The President, in his capacity, has the right to quietly raise fund for his campaigns from his friends across the globe,” he added.

Our campaign plan
The former Minister who is the Director, Contact and Mobilization Sub-Committee of President Jonathan National Campaign Organisation, stressed that All Progressives Congress, APC, would meet the PDP on the field, adding that the ruling party would take its campaign to Maiduguri, Bama, Yobe, Michika and other Boko Haram zones in the North-East, as the administration had been addressing security challenges in the country and would continue to do so.

Gana urged political leaders and stakeholders in PDP and APC to embrace, preach and teach peace and not threaten violence.
Professor 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.

Raising N21bn
“We raised about N21 billion on that day. Right from the start, we were raising money for PDP and its projects. 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 we want to complete.

“The Vice President gave graphic details of where we were on this project and how we desired to go ahead and 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 and the Presidential candidate has the right and he is going to use that his 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 to him.

“So, we want to make it clear that the money raised was for PDP and a substantial part of it will be for the completion of this building.

“As already noted, we need over N10 billion to conclude it and so, we hope that we are going to raise more. Half of the money is already going to be for the building and other projects.

“We want to lay to rest all the permutations and the discussions 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.”

Meanwhile, the Commercial Manager, BNL Bouygues Group, Mr. Benet Osuala has explained that the contract for PDP permanent secretariat was given in April 2010 to the tune of N16.5 billion, with only N6 billion paid.

He said work stopped on the project in September 2012 due to lack of funds.
Osuala, however, said the project would be delivered before the end of this year, if PDP paid the balance of N10 billion.

Calls for peace
Calling for peace from leaders of both parties, the former Minister of Information said: “I want to appeal to all our leaders, both in PDP and in the other parties, that 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.

“Nigerians are watching those who want to intimidate them. For those, who feel if it is not their way, 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.”