The All Progressives Congress (APC), on Tuesday, January 21, 2015, unfolded the strategies for raising fund to finance its Presidential Campaign, saying the intention was to democratize campaign funding in the country and to operate a transparent and accountable fundraising and management.
Director of the Buhari-Osinbajo Campaign Fundraising Committee and Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, who unveiled the strategies at a press briefing at the Lagos House, Marina, said the intention was also “to show that Nigeria is a civilized country and that things can be done differently and that change is upon us”.
Other members of the 12-member committee, according to Fashola, include Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Chief Timipre Sylva, Mr. Olawale Edun, Abbas Bello, Ikechukwu Obiora, Farouq Adamu Aliyu, Sharon Ikeazor, Hon. Sabo Nakudu, Alhaji Sardauna Habeeb, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar and Alhaji Bola Oyebode.
Addressing the capacity gathering of APC chieftains and supporters, members of the State Executive Council, Media Executives and other stakeholders and supporters of the Party, Fashola said the committee has come up with five platforms on which ordinary Nigerians could contribute to the fund, adding that the idea was based on the desire to give Nigeria back to ordinary citizens of the country.
The Governor said the plan was in tandem with the desire of the Presidential Candidate, General Buhari, “to have a campaign that involved ordinary people and that he was committing to a transparent and accountable fund raising and management”, adding that the Committee has taken that as the compass in developing the fundraising strategies.
He told his audience, “Today, we unveil many platforms where those who can vote and, indeed, those who cannot vote, can still participate in the elections by contributing to the Buhari-Osinbajo Campaign. This campaign will need money, as every other campaign does, but we are very clear about what we will be spending this money on.
“All of the money will go towards effecting the change we desire and for rescuing Nigerians from bad government. In essence, we are democratizing campaign funding by the strategic partnerships that we have formed”.
According to the Governor, the committee has created five platforms the first of which is partnership with the First Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, Guarantee Trust Bank and Eco Bank which, he said, “have agreed to provide platforms for those who want to pay by cash lodgments in the banks.
“So if you want to pay in cash, what these banks will be doing is to provide a dedicated teller and that teller will have the name APCGMBPYO 2015 and this will be available in all their branch networks across the country. These banks on their own have well over 1,000 branches across major cities in Nigeria”.
He, however, said the party’s doors are still open for partnership with other banks that might wish to join in the deal, which he emphasized, is strictly business and non-partisan. “These are the banks which for now have agreed to follow the pattern which we designed for them in order to make campaign fund donations easy”, he explained.
The next payment platform, the Governor disclosed, is the electronic payment platform explaining that for those who want to make payment through this platform, likely to be younger people, all they need to do is to log in the domain name of the party which is www.apcgmbpyo.org and follow the instructions therein.
“This electronic platform will enable those who are in Nigeria and those who are not in Nigeria to use either their telephones, their credit cards or their debit cards by linking up to any of these platforms to contribute to the change they desire for Nigeria”.
Explaining the third platform as “the short messaging service known as text messaging”, the Governor said for those who want to make payment by this mode, all they need to do is to text 35350 adding, however, that here the maximum a donor can contribute by texting that number is N100.00.
“You can, however, send as many text messages as you want to if you want to contribute more than N100.00. And once you do that, the amount you contribute will be credited in your name and your telephone number to Buhari-Osinbajo Campaign Fund”, he explained, adding that the fourth platform is the ring tone platform.
“Once you buy the ringtone online, you will be contributing to the Buhari-Osinbajo Campaign Fund. All you need to do is download APCGMBPYO ring tone and you will be contributing N100.00 to the Fund”.
Governor Fashola, who listed “the Scratch Card”, as the fifth platform, said the committee has also partnered with a company called One Card, explaining that each of their scratch cards has a value written on it from N100.00 to N1,500.00.
According to the Governor, “For any scratch card you buy, the value of the card will be credited in your name and telephone number to the contribution towards the change of bad governance if you dial *979*22*pin# and then you send and you will be contributing towards change in Nigeria”.
Promising to brief the public from time to time on other events planned for fundraising towards the Presidential Campaign, the Governor said the party’s domain name would be the electronic internet platform for payment for the fundraising and other activities adding that the intention was “to show that Nigeria is a civilized country and that things can be done differently and that change is upon us”.