In this week’s column of Nigeria Reports, I examine the issue of fund raising for campaigns by politicians in Nigeria with reference to some of the presidential candidates for the 2023 general election and as well issues with the helpless Ignoramus dancing Senator Adeleke:
In any nation as Nigeria, the dogmatic utterance that always comes out of the mouth of some politicians during campaign is; “we will eradicate poverty from your lives” which at the end, most of them fail to that respect woefully. It’s not because they can’t make things done as they always promise during campaign but it’s the lack of sincerity and exactitude which they have towards the poor masses.
Months backwards, numerous banks namely; Zenith, Sterling, Keystone and Polaris Banks were announced with each being attached with different account names for fund raising by the candidate of the Labour party, Mr. Peter Obi. The said presidential candidate who claims he is the only one who has the genuine intension among other contestants who are contesting in order to have the opportunity of alleviating poverty from the country. Astonishingly, he turned out to be a beggar, begging to rip off the poor masses from the little that they are surviving with.
As apparent as such move is as to how it always end up, some gullible Nigerians still went ahead to make the donation into the accounts aforementioned.
Different complaints concerning the money have started surfacing on the social media. Some of them have started accusing and threatening some identifiable persons who are scamming people in the course of the fund raising move. Recently, a video of the Ogun State Labour party secretary was broadcasted by the channels television accusing the Director General of the campaign council of Mr. Peter Obi, Doyin Okupe, of mismanagement of funds. Even, at the making of this piece, it was reported by the channels television that he, Okupe, has been expelled alongside others from the party.
Another of them who has dove into such trend is Mr. Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress {AAC}. Hilariously, he even went as far as suggesting the amount to be donated which is ‘1k’ with a dollar and naira account attached to the flyer released on his twitter handle.
I strongly have a doubt as to how any educated Nigerian would fall for such hypocritical move from our politicians. For the umpteenth time I keep on saying that any politician that ask the poor masses for the little they are managing to use in running his campaign doesn’t mean well for them.
Now, let me share with you why they always ask for such donations. They are politicians, they know themselves to be embezzlers of funds. If they should fund their campaign with their own resources, a lot of damages will happen to them financially which they fear of and won’t allow that to happen. So the best way to apply their financial intelligence is to ask for funds from the poor masses. If they eventually win the election, it’s a mission accomplished for them and if they lose, they have nothing to despair of financially.
But what I don’t seem to fathom is the fact that the ruling party that accused the Labour party of scamming poor Nigerians with their fund raising move has adopted the same ideology to fund its campaign. Surprised? I am not though, because their ‘Baba’ adopted the same manipulative skill in 2015 when he ran against Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and he won.
Few days back, on Tuesday precisely, the Vice Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Kashim Shettima launched an app for their campaign fund raising alongside the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-olu at the Civic Center of the Victoria Island in Lagos State.
Reactions have sparked across social media from the supporters of different political parties concerning their surprised involvement in the fund raising trend. What I can deduce from the move of the two parties, Labour party and the All Progressives Congress is that, while the latter exhibits a possible case of fraudulent act by presenting numerous bank accounts for donations, the former tends to distant itself from such by launching an app with a single account. Also, AAC candidate, Omoyele Sowore has a single account attached to his, only that it has with it a dollar and naira account. But with all honesty, what could justify the act of demanding for funds from the poor masses when you are claiming of running in order to liberate them?
Liberating the poor masses or enslaving them more, which are you for?
It’s just like a serving copper who volunteered to renovate a dilapidated school block but insisted a donation should be made by the pupils before the renovation can be executed. That sounds fraudulent to my thinking. For now, Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party seems to be the real Messiah even when, in the factual sense, has no business with the title.
Issues with the helpless dancing Senator Adeleke
Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke was sworn in as the Governor of Osun State on Sunday, 27th of November, 2022 after winning the gubernatorial election conducted in July by the Independent National Electoral Commission {INEC}.
Making his first appointment, issuing sack letters and dethroning monarchs, Senator Adeleke appointed his Chief of Staff and the Chief Press secretary, sacked over 11,000 workers and dethroned three monarchs. Making further moves, he ordered for the frozen of the state’s account and proclaimed the changing of the name of the state from ‘State of Osun’ to “Osun State”. It was at this point that the legislative chamber responded to his pomposity and ignorance of the law by rejecting such proclamation.
The legislative chamber has more than 20 legislators under the umbrella of the ruling All Progressives Congress while the People’s Democratic Party has nothing more than 3 legislators. How does Senator Adeleke think such order would go fine and smoothly? I don’t know!
At the period of writing this, it was reported that the Chief Press Secretary to Senator Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed, disclosed to the channels television correspondent that his principal is currently ironing out issues with the Speaker of the legislative chamber.
Could it be said that the dancing Senator is suffering from the ‘structure’ of a thing which the ruling party mocks the Labour party of?
Again, with all these happening, it’s funny to note that the helpless dancing Senator Adeleke has been dragged to court to present his education certificate. Ridiculously, the case is gaining a disturbing weight for him and his team of supporters.
Yusuf Danjuma Yunus writes from Lafia, Nasarawa State and can be reached via: yunusand82@gmail.com; or @YYunusand on Twitter
