A political group, Take Back Nija, which is backing the presidential bid of Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate, has accused the federal government of ordering the blocking of its account with Keystone bank.
In a statement by its Spokesperson, Danjuma Garba Musa on Wednesday, the group said the development was an act of political persecution, suppression to prevent the group from carrying out its activities.
TBN appealed to relevant authorities to reconsider the sanction, while appealing to donors to be patient with the group in efforts to resolve the issue.
According to the statement, “Global leadership has been notified that its bank account with Keystone Bank has been unjustifiably blocked by a government order.
“We see this development as an act of political persecution, suppression and intimidation from the powers that be to stop this youth driven grassroots movement from carrying out activities protected by the constitution.
“TBN is a socio-political movement and a non-governmental organisation made up of well-meaning patriotic Nigerians, actively engaged in promoting good governance and democratic ideals in Nigeria.
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“It is our core value to support competent and credible candidates during elections leveraging the energy of youths who will determine electoral outcomes at all levels irrespective of the political party. Against the 2023 General Elections, TBN Global Leadership has endorsed Mr. Peter Obi and his running mate Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed of the Labour Party as the most credible and competent candidates.
“TBN has publicly solicited and equally received donations for the sole purpose of funding grassroots activities to support the ObiDatti presidential campaign activities.
“We categorically state that blocking our account or any manner of repression will in no way stop us from supporting the Obidatti 2023 mandate. It is our constitutional right as citizens of Nigeria to support and promote the candidate(s) of our choice.
“Therefore, we appeal to the relevant authorities to reconsider this sanction. We also urge members of the public, especially our donors to bear with us while we seek redress to unblock our account”.
