The national chairman of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, (ACPN) party, Alhaji Gani Galadima, who led party leaders to disown Obiageli (Oby) Ezekwesili and adopt the President Muhammadu Buhari’s candidacy, has accused the party’s erstwhile presidential hopeful of misappropriating campaign funds. Galadima told journalists in Abuja, that the statement of account released by Ezekwesili on Thursday was unacceptable.
The former ACPN presidential candidate released her campaign finance breakdown showing the income and expenditure between October 1, 2018, and February 2, 2019. Despite pulling out of the presidential race about a month to the poll, Ezekwesili spent about N48 million in a space of five months for the 2019 presidential campaign.
The spokesperson of the Obiageli Ezekwesili Presidential Campaign Organization, Ozioma Ubabukoh, said via a press statement that she withdrew from the race to build a viable coalition. “This decision followed extensive consultations with leaders from various walks of life across the country over the past few days. I deem it necessary for me to focus on helping to build a veritable coalition to ensure a viable alternative to the #APCPDP in the forthcoming elections,” Ubabukoh had said.
The breakdown published on Ezekwesili’s campaign website shows she raised N48,957,416.00, $17,645.00, and £200 between October 1, 2018, and February 2, 2019. During that period, the campaign spent over N12 million on travels, N10.6 million on media and publicity, and another N15.3 million on “campaign mobilization fees, meeting and logistics costs”.
Printing of campaign posters and other materials cost the campaign a total ₦ 1,222,920.00, the breakdown shows. Ezekwesili said ₦2,435,609.81, $12,634.50, £200.00 are left in the campaign bank account. In a country where campaign finances are absolutely opaque, the move by Ezekwesili to publish her financial record drew applause from many.
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