Political Parties Devise Strategies to Beat Cash Crunch Ahead of Presidential Election
- The cash crunch across Nigeria is currently affecting some political parties ahead of the presidential election
- While some have decided to make virtual payments in terms of election logistics, others say it will affect their planning
- For some others, many of those working for them are volunteers and would not be expecting any payment
FCT, Abuja - A report by Daily Trust indicates that political parties are struggling to get cash for expenditure, including the payment of allowances to agents on election day, a few days before the presidential election.
According to the report, the major political parties – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Progressives Congress (APC), the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and Labour Party (LP), are struggling for cash to be expended on logistics.
Source: UGC
The expenditure, it was gathered, would start with the mobilisation of state coordinators and party agents, among others.
A party source said that for the two agents to be deployed to 176,846 polling units across the country, the candidates are expected to spend not less than N3.5billion if each of the agents would be given N10,000 allowance.
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Faced with the reality of the cash crunch, the political parties have devised strategies to take care of the situation on election day.
The APC national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, said:
“Yes, our party needs cash, but in the absence of cash, we will do the election the way we see it.”
On its part, the PDP said that in view of the cash crunch they would make use of alternative platforms to make sure they conduct the exercise seamlessly.
The PDP deputy national youth leader, Timothy Osadolor said:
“Let us conduct this election without cash, politicians need to show their popularity, go and meet the people, not induce them with money.”
Similarly, the head of media, Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council of the LP, Diran Onifade, said the situation would not affect them since they were not planning under-table payment.
The national chairman of the NNPP, Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali, said the party would devise a means to navigate the elections.
He said:
“The APC is condemning it because they want to use the old money, PDP is not condemning because maybe they already have the new money.”
PDP G-5 governors split few days before 2023 presidential election
In a related development, the G-5 governors in the PDP have endorsed different presidential candidates after failing to collectively agree on who to support.
While Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers and Seyi Makinde of Oyo, have endorsed APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, their Benue counterpart, Samuel Ortom, endorsed Peter Obi of LP.
Governors Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, however, decided to support their party's presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
PDP member openly campaigns for Obi in Lagos
Meanwhile, a PDP member was recently video-taped campaigning for Obi in Lagos state.
While campaigning for his party, the PDP member urged residents of Lagos to vote for Obi during the presidential election.
He, however, urged them to vote for Abdul-Azeez Adediran, the party's governorship candidate during the March 11 gubernatorial election.
Source: Legit.ng
