Peter Obi Yet To Receive Donations, But At The Right Time, Diaspora Will Give Money – Utomi
BY DAYO ADESULU
Professor Patrick Utomi has said that though Mr Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party had not received any donations from the Diaspora, adding that “when the time is right, the diaspora will give money.”
Speaking on Channels Television on Sunday Politics’, Utomi stated that Obi had yet to receive any donation toward his election bid.
He disputed the alleged receipt of $150 million in foreign donations by the Peter Obi presidential campaign organization.
Recall that Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, on Sunday completed his tour of five U.S. states where he consulted with the Nigerian diaspora about his ambition.
Following reports that some diaspora support groups had pledged to crowd-fund $150 million for Obi, a support group of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, called for the disqualification of the LP candidate and his running mate, Yusuf Datti Ahmed-Baba.
While there’s no indication that Obi has begun receiving campaign donations whether locally or from the diaspora, the Tinubu group claimed that the LP candidate had violated provisions of the Electoral Act on campaign funding and should be disqualified by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The call made by the ‘Tinubu-Shettima Connect’ came after the Labour Party national chairman, Julius Abure, reportedly inaugurated an 11-man diaspora committee in Abuja to raise funds for Obi.
In its reaction, the Tinubu group had said: “Section 85 of the Electoral Act has clearly explained this; Section 85 (a) (b) provides that any political party that: (a) holds or possesses any fund outside Nigeria in contravention of section 225 (3) (a) of the constitution, commits an offence and shall, on conviction, forfeit the funds or assets purchased with such funds to the commission, and in addition, may be liable to a fine of at least N5million, or (b) retain any fund or other asset remitted to it from outside Nigeria in contravention of section 225,”
