NO MORE CASH FROM ME: BUHARI TO APC

Nigeria is broke; President Buhari is probing for our money and APC are asking for money. On Monday  January 11th, they are said to have taken their quest to Aso Rock, but, Buhari in power, they went to the wrong location. He told them flatly that there is no money to fund the party, and they will have to look inwards for funding.

One wonders; 'why would the ruling party be looking for money at a time when the nation's economy is tottering'? But the answers are not far-fetched. The APC had earlier sworn to capture two oil-producing states - Akwa Ibom and Rivers - that have traditionally been PDP states since democracy, with a brief APC stint in Rivers.

It appears the APC are licking their wounds of defeat at the hands of PDP in the just concluded Bayelsa State supplementary elections; and, embarrassed roundly, they are desperately trying to raise cash for what may be a far more expensive ambition at Akwa Ibom and Rivers states, should the Supreme court call for supplementary elections in those states.

Last Monday, top leadership of APC met with President Buhari in a closed door meeting in an attempt to get him and their other elected members to fund the party's operations. Here is what an authoritative source at the Presidency told THISDAY: the President told members of the NWC of the APC present at the meeting;  National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun; National Secretary, Alhaji Mai-Mala Buni; Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawan Shuaibu, and Deputy National Chairman, Chief Segun On:

“Buhari declined from making any financial commitment. He rather reminded the APC NWC members of
how the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) messed themselves up by dipping their hands into public funds to run the party campaigns. He said he would not want APC to be seen as behaving in the same manner, moreso now that it is running a corrective government,”

The president, the source said, politely declined any commitment to bear the financial burden of running the party.

The party, I read have decided, therefore, to activate fund-raising strategies that had been abandoned in file cabinets when 'things were rosy'. It would be remembered that the APC had enjoyed free flowing cash from the largesse of wealthy members, until selfish interests began to abrade against each other, creating aggrieved benefactors who decided to withhold their financial support to the party. For ego, some of them are said to have chosen to remain in the party even when their political clout had been punctured by fellow party members; but they also developed cold feet in sponsoring the party. Perhaps, they hope to make a point for their importance to the party. One of those party leaders in mind would have to be the Lion of Bourdillion, Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

It was reported that an APC governor of the South-South part of Nigeria had donated #50million in October last year, and I believe his name is Adams Oshiomole. The same is a loud-mouthed APC leader who has ballyhooed himself as a discoverer of politicians who mismanaged public funds in the administration of his political 'enemies'. The same, 5 months ago, secured approval from the APC-led Senate for a $75million loan from the World Bank for his state. Little wonder the donation in October was kept semi-secret.

While many will be led to believe that the President is exercising caution with spending public funds - in a time he is probing the former administration for $2.1billion of public funds spent on party agenda - it is important to watch carefully how the desperate APC go about raising these much needed funds and to keep in focus the aforementioned reasons for this desperation inferred from recent political comments by their topmost leadership concerning Akwa Ibom and Rivers States.