T HE Peoples Democratic Party on Monday came under condemnation for directing governors elected on its platform to contribute a minimum of N50m each at a planned N10bn fund raiser scheduled for November 14, 2008 in Abuja.

According to the national leadership of the party, the N10bn will be used to build a befitting national secretariat for the party in Abuja.

Those, who in separate interviews with THE PUNCH, sternly criticised the governing party over the matter included the National Chairman of the Action Congress, Chief Bisi Akande; the National Chairman of the Progressive Peoples Alliance, Mr.

Clement Ebri, and the National Chairman of the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, Alhaji Balarabe Musa.

But the National Chairman of the PDP Chief Vincent Ogbulafor, , dismissed the criticisms saying asking governors to contribute N50m each was no big deal.

A visibly angry Akande said the PDP’s directive to its governor was a vindication of his party’s stance that the ruling party was synonymous with fraud and corruption.

He said, “We have always maintained that the PDP is synonymous with fraud and corruption and that our country is unlucky to have the party in power at this point in its history.

“The PDP is like a farmer who decides to eat up his seedlings at the time of planting so there will be nothing for him to sow and therefore harvest.

“The party prefers to share our collective wealth among themselves and use part of the money to bribe the police and INEC in order to sustain itself in power. In the process, they leave Nigerians with nothing to harvest.

“Let me tell you that what the party is now trying to do is not surprising to us. The PDP is founded on a foundation of corruption. It germinated in corruption and has since been surviving on corruption.” Ebri said by directing its governors to dip their hands in the public till to pull out N50m, the PDP was fuelling corruption in the country.

He advised President Umaru Yar’Adua to take drastic measures to stop the PDP and the governors from abusing public funds.

Ebri said, “What the PDP is trying to do is a very unfortunate development. Things like this always sound like fairy tales.

“But if it is true, we are in trouble and corruption will never go away from our country. It is like the PDP is telling the governors to dip their hands in the public till.” Also speaking on the matter, Musa said the PDP’s directive to its governors was a clear manifestation of the “stealing” that the ruling party had been using its platform to perpetrate.

“Can you imagine anywhere in the world where the political party in power will ask its governors to bring out N50m from public funds for its use knowing that the money will be taken from the public till?” the former governor asked.

But Ogbulafor said, “The fact is that we want to raise funds to build our secretariat and we have given the governors a target. We believe it is better to do it through the governors rather than the state chapters of the party.

“The N50m we have asked them to contribute is not too much of an amount as far as we are concerned. The governors can raise the money through party faithful, businessmen and wellwishers. They can do it whichever way they decide.” The immediate past leadership of the party had already released N1bn for the commencement of work on the building of the 12-storey secretariat.

A Fund Raising Committee led by Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan has been mandated to raise the balance of the contract cost.

Already, the committee has contacted state governors and other political office holders asking them to make financial contributions to the project through a designated account in Zenith Bank.

A project committee under the chairmanship of the Kaduna State Governor, Alhaji Namadi Sambo, inaugurated in October 2007, is coordinating the construction of the proposed secretariat.

The financial commitment expected of the governor came at a time when the governors have agreed to build a N6bn “permanent secretariat” for the Governors’ Forum in Abuja and have each agreed to contribute N85m each in two installments. http://www.e-punch.com/ArticleText.aspx?article=04_11_2008_011_002&mode=1

these theives at work again

What can I say, I tired of talking.

PDP = Corruption