Nigeria Content Online

The national
leadership of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) yesterday demanded a
full scale investigation into the alleged donation of N3 billion to the
campaign organization of President Goodluck Jonathan by governors of
six states. The ANPP national chairman, Ogbonnaya Onu, said at a press
conference in Abuja that the report of the donation by the governors of
Ebonyi, Cross River, Benue, Katsina, Bauchi and Ogun State of N500
million each is not only worrisome but a disturbing development. The
presidency on Wednesday denied the report, saying the letter, allegedly
written by a presidential aide, was forged.

“We are worried by
a recent news report credited to the BBC that six state governors
elected on the platform of one of the political parties contributed the
sum of N500 million each to the re-election campaign of the President,”
Mr Onu said.

“This is a disturbing development which we find objectionable, if it is true.

Our great party is
desirous of getting to the root of this matter. We are inclined to do
so because the very foundation of our democracy is in danger. We will
like to know whether such huge sums of money were appropriated in the
budget estimates of the affected states. The ANPP will want Nigerians
to demand to be told the whole truth about this latest attempt to erode
the democratic process. This will serve as a deterrent to ensure that
this will never happen again.”

Probe the allegation

The ANPP boss asked
the attorney general of the federation and minister of justice,
Mohammed Adoke, to urgently constitute an independent investigation
committee “to unravel the truth about this national embarrassment.”

He said it was
important that the attorney general realize that his loyalty was to the
country and not the government in power and therefore should rise to
the patriotic challenges of the moment and seek for people of honour
and integrity who would tell the nation the whole truth about the
matter.

Mr Onu also called
on the National Assembly to take serious interest in the matter, noting
that “as custodians of the democratic conscience of the Nigerian
people, they have a responsibility to ensure that our laws are obeyed
by all.”

“We demand to know the truth for the sake of our democracy, for the
sake of equity and for the sake of due respect for the laws of our dear
country,” he said.