PDP must not spend its N21bn on elections!

Our annual budget for instance is usually bigger than those of our 15 neighbouring countries put together. Why then should anyone classify us among poor countries? Again, that so much of our money is hardly accounted for should not be taken to mean that we are poor; it is just that our public funds are […]

Our annual budget for instance is usually bigger than those of our 15 neighbouring countries put together. Why then should anyone classify us among poor countries? Again, that so much of our money is hardly accounted for should not be taken to mean that we are poor; it is just that our public funds are in the private pockets of the powerful and privileged class. At the same time, that only a few roads are built or resurfaced should not be mistaken to mean that we don’t have enough to produce many more smooth and beautiful roads. We are unable to do much more because although we often engage the same international construction companies that build great roads abroad, we pay more than four times what others pay for the same task. The other day, there was an unrefuted allegation that Imo State paid N400 million per kilometre!
Who then can say Nigeria is poor? Let no one use our inadequate health care system to assess our level of poverty. That our hospitals are virtually empty with little or no modern facilities and drugs is in essence not a true reflection of how rich we are; after all our leaders are always able to afford the cost of oversea check-ups. Indeed, the occasional repatriation of billions of public fund misappropriated by our leaders suggests that as a nation, Nigeria is more than solvent. Of course she is; considering that only a few days ago, our ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) raised N21 billion within the twinkle of an eye to handle the February 2015 Presidential election. A look at the list of donors easily shows that much more must have been raked in since then because the usual generous donors- the business tycoons of Nigeria are till date yet to send in theirs.
Interestingly, some analysts have not been able come to terms with the huge donations by some ‘awkward’ donors. What such analysts do not know is that the PDP has this magic which propels the poor to financially bail out the rich, especially at electioneering periods. Let us remember that during the recently concluded nomination of candidates, the nomination form of President Goodluck Jonathan was reportedly purchased on his behalf by herdsmen etc.  Whereas he needed only N22million to get the form, he received donations worth N98million from many people that are mistaken as poor. Among them were: Central Market Traders Union, Kaduna State which donated N1million, Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore- the national body of Fulani herdsmen- N5million, the Northern Youths Forum-N2million and even the National Association of Widows that donated thousands of naira. In the case of governors wishing to move to the Senate, there were wealthy youths around to serve as sponsors. This happened in Akwa Ibom in respect of the form for Governor Godswill Akpabio just as another set of youths under the aegis of Benue Youth in Diaspora Association (BYDA) allegedly provided money to purchase the senatorial nomination form for Governor Gabriel Suswam.
The point that has been made with much ease is that there is money in Nigeria. What remains to be stated is how our money can be more reasonably used. To deploy PDP’s N21billion on elections for instance, would be patently wrong for many reasons. First, our Electoral Act makes it illegal for any candidate to raise either by himself or on his behalf any sum in excess of N1billion. There is even the specific provision in the law that “An individual or other entity shall not donate more than N1,000,000 to any candidate.” Thus, those who gave more than one million naira are wrong, so are those who received the donations. They are liable according to Section 91 of the said Electoral Act to a fine of N1m or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both. The same section also makes it an offence for any candidate to spend more than N1 billion as election expenses at a presidential election. In which case the PDP is under obligation to put no less than N20 billion of the fund it raised at their special dinner into other uses.
It is therefore suggested that the party should donate a good chunk of the money to our military to update their equipment in their bid to stop the ravaging insurgency in parts of the country. This is because the PDP, more than any other person or group, has more at stake. It is the current government party that should be sensitive about the basic purpose of governance which is to ensure the security and welfare of Nigerians.  Such a function ought to be more important to the party than an election because if the insurgency does not end, our people are justified not to rely on that party at future elections. The way the PDP dinner was organized and the ease with which it raked N21billion suggest that the party is capable of doing whatever it sets out to do.  The chairman of the fund raising dinner, Professor Jerry Gana, confirmed this when he eloquently described how the donors would be mobilized. The efficacy of “If you are a teacher, you teach well”- Gana’s legacy re-echoed at the dinner.  Nigerians should therefore request the party to handle the battle against insurgency in the country with the same vigour and efficiency with which it has left nothing undone to be battle ready for elections.  
The promise of the Federal Government that it would ensure free and fair elections in 2015 presupposes that the government party will obey the rule limiting election expenses so as to prevent commercialized politics with its legion of ills.