*Denies receiving N800m
By Ezeocha Nzeh
As reactions continue to trail the alleged N4.8b expended by the definitely Caretaker and Extra Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), for the conduct of the March 31 national Convention of the party, the Publicity sub-committee of the party’s National Convention that brought in the new National Working Committee (NWC) has denied receiving N800 million for it’s expenditure.
This is even as the committee has backed the planned probing of the alleged sum by the new National Working Committee (NWC), led by former Governor of Nasarawa state, senator Adams Abdulahi
The NWC, which upon assumption of office, had threatened to probe the alleged financial impropriety by the CECPC, has instructed all the directors at the various departments of the party’s national headquarters to proceed on compulsory and indefinite leave to pave way for the probe
The Secretary of the Sub-committee and Presidential spokesperson, Malam Shehu Garba made the denied of the media report in a statement he issued at the weekend in Abuja
It was reported that the APC National Convention Committee, which was chaired by the governor of Yobe State and Chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Mai Mala Buni spent N4.8 billion for the Convention, with Publicity sub-committee gulping N800 million.
The report also stated that the NWC led by the former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu is allegedly probing the expenditure
But in his reactions to the report, the convention’s Publicity sub-committee Secretary, Shehu Garba, said, “The report that the Media Subcommittee of the Convention Planning Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, led by the Abdullahi Sule, the Governor of Nassarawa State, co-chaired by Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information and Culture. spent a whopping amount of N800 million is strange news, totally untrue
“If that huge amount of money was spent on media work at the convention, we make bold to say that we were, and still are unaware of the what, who, when and how it was expended.
“The Subcommittee, which I served as Secretary got the total sum of N100 Million only. We thank the Governor for giving us venue, tea and coffee.
“We submitted a budget of about N360 Million. When the Finance Subcommittee told us that even the N100 paid us was in excess of our budgetary allocation, we scrambled backwards, canceling commitments duly entered into for billboards, production of documentaries, lamp pole ads and so many other things. Some we could cancel, others were irreversible.
“On the assurances given by our leaders, we negotiated a token of commitment to TV networks for Live Coverage, with everyone agreeing that was a must-do for the convention. At the very end, we could only pay half of that amount to each of the stations, hoping that the leadership of the party will take responsibility for the payment of the balances due as a matter of honor.
“The expenses sheet accounting for the N100 Million and the detailed report of the work by the Subcommittee has since been sent to the Party and shared with the committee leaders and its membership.”
He went further to state that, “In the course of doing this work, all payments to third parties were done by a committee member in the presence of at least two other members. This was in a bid to rise above scandal.
“In view of the astonishing revelation of the money allegedly spent by our committee in this report, we strongly suspect that our account, rendered to the party, detailing out every of our expenses may have been the trigger for the ongoing investigation and the reported suspensions.
“Whatever be the case, we are absolutely in support in the ongoing probe into the convention finances.
“To convince anyone that the party is ready to continue with the cleansing of the nation being carried out by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, it must first cleanse it own house.
“On this, we stand with Governor Abdullahi Adamu, the new Chairman as he carries out this exercise. Nothing should be hidden under the carpet.”
