“It was immediately after the convention of October 7th, 2018, the National Chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Galadima, National Secretary Mr. Paul Alhasan Isamade, Alhaji Maikasuwa Goroyo, and Alhaji Otumba Bosun, sensing there would be huge inflow of funds to the coffers of ACPN, took oath of secrecy (as confessed by one of them – Alhaji Goroyo, in our presence), decided to frustrate, annihilate, exclude and avoid all other National Working Committee (NWC), members of the party in most articulate and decisive meetings with the presidential candidate and her team."
Some executive members of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) have countered the claim of Ganiyu Galadima, the ACPN National Chairman, that Obiageli Ezekwesili, the party’s former presidential candidate, mismanaged campaign funds.
The party has threatened to drag Ezekwesili to court if she failed to return all funds donated for the aborted presidential campaign.
However, some other executive members of the party have debunked the claim made by the Galadima faction, noting that it was the latter and his ilk that mismanaged campaign funds and not Ezekwesili.
A statement signed by Chief Angus Uzoamaka, ACPN National Treasurer, Chief I.K. Okagbu, the Chairman, South East Zone; Dr. F.U.A. Nwanebu, Assistant Director General, South East Campaign, on Friday, affirmed that the party indeed appealed to Ezekwesili to take its presidential ticket.
They, however, noted that immediately after the convention held on October 7, 2018, Galadima, Paul Isamade, the National Secretary, Alhaji Maikasuwa Goroyo, and Alhaji Otumba Bosun took an oath of secrecy and “decided to frustrate, annihilate, exclude and avoid all other National Working Committee (NWC) members of the party in the most articulate and decisive meetings with the presidential candidate and her team”.
In the statement entitled: ‘This ACPN Factional Defection to APC is Malicious and Fraudulent’, the excos said: “We want the entire Nigerian populace to note as follows: That it took us (ACPN leadership) several weeks to approach and consistently plead and convince Dr. Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili to enter political race and to contest this presidency under our party; That we, on several visits, reassured her that we will never fail to abide and act with due process, transparency, internal party democracy, integrity devoid of unpatriotism, monetary inducement and non-clannishness in all dealings for the benefit of a new Nigeria; That on October 5th, precisely, in her corporate office, she (Dr. Oby), accepted our plea and convictions, but informed us (ACPN) that she is not a ‘moneybag’, but would rely on our (ACPN) structures, the Nigerian volunteer populace, donors, and our mutual contacts as a paradigm shift, to fund the campaign on the Nigerian political land space. She also told us that we must work with her to build a coalition to push out APC and PDP.
“It was immediately after the convention of October 7th, 2018, the National Chairman, Alhaji Ganiyu Galadima, National Secretary Mr. Paul Alhasan Isamade, Alhaji Maikasuwa Goroyo, and Alhaji Otumba Bosun, sensing there would be huge inflow of funds to the coffers of ACPN, took oath of secrecy (as confessed by one of them – Alhaji Goroyo, in our presence), decided to frustrate, annihilate, exclude and avoid all other National Working Committee (NWC), members of the party in most articulate and decisive meetings with the presidential candidate and her team.
“All the monies paid into ACPN’s FCMB bank account by Oby Ezekwesili’s campaign donors, including those paid by candidates for various positions, have never been accounted for, and has been hijacked by Alhaji Ganiyu Galadima, Paul A. Isamade, and two others, by their arbitrary and unexplainable withdrawals and expenditure, without informing the National Treasurer (who is also a third signatory to the party account), the National Auditor, or the Financial Secretary. These four men resorted to arbitrarily issuing suspension letters to top national executive members, who they perceive would probe or question these nefarious activities and hidden agenda, to maliciously truncate the presidential campaign programme of Dr. Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, including extortion of money from APC or other willing tools of corrupt alliance to undo Nigerians.
“Every effort made for the National Chairman, the National Secretary and the North, South-West and South-South zones (led by Paul Alhasan Isamade, an Aboh-Kwale man) to submit names/office addresses and structure of the party for planning, budgeting and execution, and to enable willing donors see reasons for further support, were truncated by these four men, now rushing to APC without shame.
“It was when the presidential candidate and some members of the campaign team discovered fake proxies from different states and locations were assembled to an all-inclusive meeting in Abuja, monies already disbursed for hotels, transport and sundry expenses, that it became necessary for explanation on how the additional N4.5 million transferred into ACPN account was expended.
“These transparency requests from the National Chairman, who doubles as the Vice Presidential candidate, and refusal to support the demand to build a coalition had led to this Galadima’s ugly, hide and seek (party buy-and-sell) actions, which when discovered, we had no option than to support Dr. Oby Ezekwesili’s decision to withdraw her candidacy, then possibly help support any possible third force coalition, so as to save this our beleaguered Nigeria, out of the grip of unpatriotic, clannish and non entrepreneurial leadership and followership as it exists to date.
“For ACPN, the four political jobbers, unpatriotic and transaction-filled souls in control, remain a big regret of political participation, as they have openly and shamelessly told us, we should never mention the word ‘selfless’ nor ‘national patriotism’ in their presence.”