PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) officials have accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate General Muhammadu Buhari of receiving $700m in campaign funding from Arab sheikhs in contravention of Nigeria's electoral laws.
Under Nigeria's constitution, political parties and candidates are barred from receiving foreign donations and it is illegal to accept funding from other governments. However, according to Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, the media director of the PDP's presidential campaign organisation, General Buhari was contravening this law.
Chief Fani-Kayode said: "Funds received by the APC further confirm our assertion that Buhari was being covertly funded and supported by shady foreign interests from the Arab world with an agenda of insurgency, butchery, murder, division and strife to take power in this Nigeria. Contacts and negotiations for the Arab support were exclusively managed by the closest aides of General Buhari literally behind the backs of the APC leadership.”
He added that the PDP will confiscate such sums if it wins the election as they are monies that had been acquired illegally. According to Chief Fani-Kayode, General Buhari’s links with one of Arab businessmen identified as Sheikh Agmed Yamani allegedly stemmed from his days as petroleum minister under the military administration of General Olusegun Obasanjo when they worked together at the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec).
Chief Fani-Kayode added: “This confirms our fears and belief that the APC is being sponsored primarily by money from foreign countries and by agents of foreign governments that are hostile to the interest of our beloved nation, Nigeria. We also believe that some shady groups in the Middle East may well have a hand in the funding of a video and in the construction and conjuring up of baseless allegations.
“Worst of all, the producers of this video were attempting to incite the Nigerian people against the Nigerian government. They went as far as to suggest that when the presidential election is fought and won and President Goodluck Jonathan emerges as the winner, that the people should call for a full scale military intervention rather than allowing Jonathan to come back."
He vowed that the PDP would not tolerate any act of violence or any attempt to assassinate anybody by their agents in the event of an electoral victory, the people of this country ever allow another military intervention. According to Chief Fani-Kayode, the PDP will protect the mandate that will be given to it by the Nigerian people to the last man.
