The All Progressives Congress National Vice Chairman, North-west, Dr. Salihu Lukman, says the leadership of the party did not support any candidate of the party financially including President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 elections.
Lukman stated this Wednesday in Abuja during a media interaction with select journalists.
He said saying during the tenure of Adams Oshiomhole as the chairman of the party, he made sure every candidate of the party was supported financially during the 2019 elections.
His words: “Talking of national budget we are just coming out of elections whereby we are not able to sustain past precedence. What was the past precedence? Under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in 2019 every candidate of the party received something from the national secretariat.
“This last election no candidate of the candidate received a dime from the party. Talking of finances in our constitution the NEC is supposed to approve some form of sharing formula.
“I am aware that each state chapter received about N20 million out of the N30 billion, put together that is about N700 million; less than a billion which is less than three percent of the total income that has been earned.
” Yet we want to sweep this under the carpet. We are having states, zonal, local councils and ward levels who are left on their own. The whole question of funding of the party has not been addressed. “
The National Vice Chairman said the leadership of the party is expected to present a proposed national budget to the National Executive Committee (NEC) for approval by the provision of Article 13, 3A.14 of the APC constitution.
“I felt embarrassed when I heard the National Secretary, Senatir Iyiola Omisore saying the budget of the party has been sent to the independent national electoral commission (INEC). INEC is not the approving authority of the budget of the APC. The approving authority is the NEC. Till today we don’t have a national budget. Yet we made over N30 billion from sales of forms.”