Adewale Momoh AKURE 
- LP plans fund raising for December
Amid plans by the major political parties to intensify their presidential campaigns ahead of the 2023 elections, key players within the parties’ hierarchies have started strategising on ways to get around funding constraints.
Front-runners in the 2023 presidential election include the presidential standard-bearers of four major political parties. They are the All Progressives Congress (Bola Ahmed Tinubu); Labour Party (Peter Obi), New Nigerian Peoples Party (Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso), and Peoples Democratic Party ( Abubakar Atiku).
Tinubu’s APC controls the centre and 22 states of the Federation.
A source close to one of the opposition parties confided in our correspondent that aside the ruling APC, all other political parties are grappling with ‘funding challenges’.
The source, who spoke in confidence shortly after the inauguration of the presidential campaign outfit of one of the frontline candidates, disclosed that efforts put place to harness funds from private sector operators have also been fruitless.
He cited Atiku and Obi, of the PDP and LP respectively, as the hardest hit by the cash crunch.
Specifically, he said the intractable crisis between the PDP presidential candidate and the G-5 PDP Governors led by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has “almost crippled the party” even as Obi’s inability to muster enough funds appears to have put the APC candidate, Tinubu ahead in terms of ‘cash liquidity ‘.
“I don’t want to deceive myself and if anyone wants to do so, let him be, that, amongst all the candidates, Tinubu has an edge in terms of cash liquidity because the two other challengers, that is, Aitku and Obi are already grappling with funding challenges. It is clear and simple that money plays a major role before and during election and the APC appears to have that edge with 22 governors.
“In the case of the LP’s Obi, we all know his limitations in terms of funding. Those who pretended to be selfless in donations are already tired and withdrawing gradually from funding activities.
“Right now, we are aware that the LP plans to organise a public fundraising luncheon to raise money because the man cannot foot the bill alone.
“In the PDP, it is worse because all eyes were on the party before the crisis between the Wike group and Atiku blew open. Today, how many PDP governors are prepared to fund the party? The only one in the Southwest is with Wike.
“And to make matters worse, the Chairman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council and Akwa Ibom governor, Udom Emmanuel, three weeks ago, turned down the request to bankroll Atiku. The governor has pointedly said all governors should hold their states. So, it is a very big challenge.”
It was gathered that as part of his itinerary in the United States, the PDP candidate is expected to meet a cross section of Nigerian businessmen to discuss the issue of funding ahead of the 2023 election.
Several Nigerian businessmen sympathetic to Atiku’s presidential aspiration are said to have arrived the US a week before his trip abroad.
Also, at the inauguration ceremony of LP’s campaign council in Abuja, the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, said the presidential candidate of the party could not carry funding burden alone.
“The task is not an easy one because we are competing against parties that have the resources and common patrimony and ready to deploy it in the election.
“Presidential election is very expensive. It is very costly. Our slogan is that we don’t give ‘shishi’ but this time around, we have to look for money.
“The Presidential candidate cannot fund the campaigns alone. He does not have the money. The greatest challenge that we are likely to have in this campaign is with funding.
“Our Presidential Candidate was a governor in Anambra. He is the only governor known not to have embezzled money. He kept N75 billion in the account of Anambra State and he is the only governor not on pension.
“The point I am making is that he cannot fund the presidential campaigns alone. Therefore, all of us in this council have the responsibility to join hands with the party to see how we can raise funds”.
