There is a big task ahead of us, go source for money, Tukur begs PDP members

There is a big task ahead of us, go source
for money, Tukur begs PDP members
on october 24, 2013 at 11:27 am in news
By Henry Umoru
ABUJA- NATIONAL Chairman of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP Alhaji Bamanga Tukur
yesterday inaugurated a twenty- two member
National Finance Committee to raise funds for the
party, just as he pleaded with governors elected on
the platform of the party as well as members to help
the PDP with money to enable it run its affairs.
The Committee has the Chairman, PDP Governor’s
Forum and governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill
Akpabio as Chairman with Ibrahim Shema of Katsina
state as Deputy Chairman , even as Tukur asked
them to use their good offices to turn around the
financial fortunes of the party.
According to him, the national finance committee as
approved by the NWC was established by the
constitution of the PDP and was constituted every
four years.
Speaking during the inauguration, Tukur who
charged the committee to assist the PDP to
mobilize resources to enable the party to carry out
good work, noted that there was a big challenge
before the party in the completion of its permanent
national secretariat, adding, ” I must thank them for
accepting to serve their party. Having seen the
Committee members, our party is lucky, Nigeria is
lucky because of the dedication on their party to
see that our party wax stronger.
There is a big task ahead of us: the edifice we are
building, all men of goodwill must support them to
achieve the task ahead of them. I charge you
distinguish citizens to help this party mobilize
resources to help PDP carry out good work.”
In his response, Chairman of the Committee,
Governor Akpabio who assured the leadership of
the PDP that the purse of the party “will be
uncommonly transformed” as the Committee would
work as a team and mobilise members to help the
party, said, “The party has enormous
responsibilities, one of which is to complete the
national headquarter of our party.
Right from today, the story will change. I am happy
about the quality of men on the Committee:
performing Ministers, governors and the Deputy
Senate President. The finance of the party will be
uncommonly transformed.
“This is the time and it is very spiritual, Mr
Chairman you are going to succeed as the chairman
of the party. We assure you that the chairman and
Deputy Chairman and all the members of this
committee would work as a team.
“Iam emphasising the word as a team because I
know that the problem we have in the recent past
was that the National Working Committee of our
great party did not work as a team, but Mr
Chairman today, with the support of all the party
faithful across Nigeria, we believe strongly that
today we have a team.
Our job is enormous and we recognise the
enormous responsibility on our shoulders.
“Of course people would say why do they need to
raise funds that PDP is already composed of men
and women of timber and calibre they do not need
funds, but we have responsibilities, one of which is
the edifice we must put up in Abuja to show that as
a ruling party that we have come to stay and that is
the national headquarters of our great party.
“We need funds to complete that building. Our job
also extends to even investing the excess funds
that our supporters are going to give us.
We are allowed by the constitution of our party to
even invest such funds in ventures that would
produce dividends for the party. So, we want to
assure you that we are alive to our responsibilities
and raising from here, the story would change.
Akpabio who also disclosed that the Committee as
part of moves to achieve its set goals, plans to
under study sources of finances of African National
Congress (ANC) in South Africa, Labour Party in the
United Kingdom and political party’s finances
system in United States of America with a view to
replicating them in the PDP, adding that PDP
requires fund to complete its on-going new party
secretariat edifice in Abuja, and plans to invest
future funds that accrue from the party supporters
and that the committee was going to mobilize funds
for the party within the ambit of the law and the
party’s constitution.
According to him, visits to these countries by the
committee to under study political parties in other
countries of the world will help enhance the
committee to come up with a very comprehensive
strategy that will be acceptable to the party, adding
that inauguration of the committee was a turning
point for the PDP, adding, “We are going to meet
shortly after this and our next meeting would be on
Nov. 5. We are going to start right away because
we do not have time to waste.
“We are also going to take a look on how parties of
this nature are funded outside Nigeria such as the
ANC in South Africa, we would look at how the
Democratic Party in America does its funding and
we would also look at how the labour party is
funded in the United Kingdom.
“We would go round and by the time we are through
with our study, we would come out with a
comprehensive strategy that would be legal and
would be acceptable to all the party faithful.
“We would not go outside the constitution of our
party and we would not do anything that is illegal.
We want to assure you that this is a turning point
for the PDP.  It is normal that whenever the PDP
takes the lead, other parties follow, but one thing
they had not beaten us to is that since 1999, we had
remained with one name, the PDP.”
Akpabio, who had earlier said elections in Nigeria
were won at the local and state level, stated that the
mission of politicians in Abuja was to prepare the
ground, adding, “Elections in Nigeria are won at
local and state level, our mission in Abuja is to
prepare the ground.”
Speaking further in the success of PDP, Akpabio
who noted that the PDP was the only party devoid of
ethnic and regional coloration among other political
parties in the country, said, “Look at our opponents
they are always changing name, and they may
change to panadol in 2015.
“We are the only party known to all Nigerians and
not own by any region or tribe but belongs to every
Nigerian and that is why we will continue to rule.
Mr chairman you should sleep well because if you
look at our opponent, they are now on the 11th
name and by 2015, they would be going to the 13th
name and Nigerians would have forgotten wither
they AC, CNC or ANC or APC
Its not the name that matters by the leadership that
we are providing that is why we remain constant
we will continue to remain PDP because we are
proud of what the PDP is doing.”
He assured that at the end of the day, problem of
finance rocking the PDP would be a thing of  the
past, adding that with the humility of the deputy
senate president,  Ike Ekweremadu, who is a
member of the committee, it would be an easy task
for the committee to mobilize funds, adding, “We
thank you so much for the confidence and for
bringing use to serve the party and we assure you
that ate the end of the day, finances or lack of
finance would be a thing of the past in the PDP and
so we say.”
Other members of the National Finance Committee
which was drawn from the National Assembly, the
six-geo-political zones are Deputy Senate
President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu​​​​​;  Senator Hope
Uzodima​​​​​; Hon. Bello Muhammed Matawalle​​​;
National Treasurer​​​​​; National Auditor, Adewale
Adeyanju; National Financial Secretary​​​​, Elder Bolaji
Anani; King A. J. Turner​​​​​​; Capt. Hossa Okunbo​​​​​; Amb.
Abdulahi Wali​​​​​; Alh. Shitu Kabir Muhammed​​​​; Hajiya
Bola Shagaya​​​​​; Hajiya Inna Ciroma​​​​​; Alh. Lawal
Muhammed Dakingari​​​; Alh. Sani Dauda (ASD)​​​​​; Dr.
Ben Okoye​​​​​​; Elder Yemi Akinwonmi​​​​​; Mrs.​Biodun
Olujimi​​​​​ and Dep. National Financial Secretary as
Secretary