The Labour Party (LP) has denied claims that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, was looking to the Nigerian diaspora for financial support for his campaign.
Recall that a group operating under the Tinubu-Shettima Connect banner demanded that Obi be disqualified from the 2023 presidential election due to alleged violations of the Electoral Act regarding campaign financing.
The group had argued that employing such funding was not only wrong but also prohibited by section 85 of the Electoral Act.
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This followed a commitment by the party’s diaspora support groups to raise $150 million for Obi through crowdsourcing and an additional N100 billion from supporters in Nigeria.
In an interview with Newsmen on Friday, LP spokesman Abayomi Arabambi refuted reports that during his recent trip to America and Europe, Obi solicited donations for his campaign from Nigerians living abroad.
According to Arabambi, the former governor of Anambra State only visited other countries to interact with Nigerians and persuade them to make investments there.
He said, “First, I must debunk the allegation from the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party that Obi went abroad soliciting funds. We have never solicited any funds from abroad. Rather, he was marketing Nigeria to those in the diaspora.
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“Peter Obi went abroad to inform Nigerians that there shall be a new Nigeria and they should come with Foreign Direct Investments and not only remittances they send to their family members back home. He also told them he would build local industries and that Nigeria would be a producing nation rather than a consuming nation, which the APC and PDP have reduced Nigeria to since 1999.”
Arabambi continued by saying that fans of Obi have taken it upon themselves to support the campaign financially by making a contribution of N100 every individual to gather money for its numerous rallies across the nation.
The LP representative noted that the funding model has naturally changed, adding that occasionally, kind-hearted Nigerians provide refreshments.
However, Arabambi made it clear that the party would adhere to the Electoral Act’s specified restrictions.
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He said: “For our campaign, the funding strategy has even evolved organically. Let me give you an example, our Obidient Movement in Nigeria contributed N100. That has been the source of funding for all our Obidient ‘one million march’ rallies across the country. During the rally, some food sellers give food and bottles of water or drinks and people are supporting us, which shows they have confidence in Peter Obi.”
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