The crisis rocking the All Progress Congress (APC), Delta state chapter, has gotten messier as an alleged N3 billion campaign funds provided to the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Chief Great Ogboru, was allegedly not utilised for the campaigns.
A group under the auspices of Coalition of Delta All Progressives Congress Support Groups, who made this allegation during a press conference in Warri has, therefore, demanded the probe of Chief Ogboru.
According to the convener of the support group, Prince Daniel Ekiugbo, not up to N1 billion of the alleged N3 billion budget made available for the campaign was expended.
The group urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomole, to set up machinery to find out the true expenditure of the funds provided for the campaign.
The support group also accused Chief Ogboru of refusing to disburse funds for “intensive grassroots” rallies during the just concluded election.
They further claimed that the refusal of Chief Ogboru to heed to the calls of the national working committee to unite with other party stakeholders, led to the gross failure of the party in the governorship polls, where it scored 215,938 against the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) 925,274 votes.
“We call on the National Leader of the Party, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari and our National Working Committee led by Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to immediately set inquiry for Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru to explain the whereabouts of the huge Financial Provisions for the entire 2019 General Elections.
“It is of public knowledge that Great Ogboru presented a budget of over three billion naira, which budget was over funded and availed to him.
“There was no evidence anywhere that he spent N1 billion for the elections. He refused to properly disburse and chose to release paltry amounts only to his few chosen supporters.
“Even for his LGA rallies, he never released one Kobo, instead he directed that local leaders and supporters task themselves to fund such rallies, and because most leaders couldn’t raise such funds, a lot of LGA rallies were either abandoned or turn out to be huge flops!
“We also have it on good authority that commissioner positions were sold N50 million each in advance to raise funds that were diverted from the campaigns!
“APC, as a mega political party, cannot be brought to the low level of mushroom political parties where Ogboru has been practising his hit-and-run politics of election racketeering and getting away with the dubious acts. Ogboru should be probed,” the support groups stated.
Congratulating President Buhari and his vice, Prof Yemi Osibanjo on their reelection, they pointed out that it is the good governance of the Buhari-led administration that made Nigerians cast their votes for the party again.
All efforts to get reaction from the Delta governorship candidate proved abortive as call and SMS sent to his telephone line had not been replied at the time of filing this report.
