Utibe Ekoson
INEC bars Peter Obi, Tinubu, Atiku and others from receiving abroad donations as election campaign beginsIndependent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has barred political parties in Nigeria from receiving campaign and electioneering donations from abroad.INEC national commissioner Festus Okoye said this while quoting Section 225 of the Nigerian constitution which makes it clear that no registered political party in Nigeria shall possess any funds outside the country.Okoye’s statement means leading candidates in the Nigeria 2023 presidential election – Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party candidate Peter Obi and other candidates will not receive donations from their supporters outside Nigeria.He explained that a political party cannot open an account and have monies remitted into that particular account outside the Federal Republic of Nigeria.INEC’s stance on foreign donations comes two days after political parties officially began campaigns for their candidates contesting seats in the National Assembly and persons aspiring to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential election.Since Wednesday last week, supporters of various political parties have solicited financial support for their preferred candidates in the general elections with Obi and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC) announcing the donation process to their followers on Twitter.Peter Obi of the Labour Party had also announced a website for donations while AAC Sowore tweeted account details where his supporters can fund his campaign and help his election to be Nigeria’s president after the February 2023 election.
