‘How We Shared Alleged N1bn Campaign Fund In 2019 Kwara Election’

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Chairman, Campaign Committee of All Progressives Congress (APC)
during the 2019 general election in Kwara State, Hon. Moshood
Mustapha has said that, the issue of N1billion campaign funds for
the election in the state was shared according to the template
released to the party by the National Executive Committee of the
APC.

There were allegations and counter-allegations over the
disbursement of the funds in the state to the extent that the state
Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq accused some cheiftains of
the party of misappropriating the funds and was not given a kobo
for the campaign.

Also, the spokesman, of the Bashir Bolarinwa Omolaja-led faction
of APC, Alhaji Abdul-Rahoof Bello had, in Ilorin on Tuesday, asked
Governor AbdulRazaq to account for N1 billion he allegedly
collected from the national headquarters of APC.

Speaking with reporters in Ilorin yesterday on the development,
the chairman of the campaign committee for 2019 governorship
election in the state, Alhaji Mustapha stated that, there was no
basis for such allegations against the governor over the
disbursement of the campaign funds in the state because “the money
in question which came from Abuja also came with a template for
sharing it.”

He said that, “The money was actually N400 million in the first
place and the template given for sharing it accompanied it and so
it was not possible for anybody to seize the money.”

He said that, “After the primaries in 2019, state chairman of
the party, Hon. Bolarinwa called him for a party meeting at the
Savannah Hotel in Ilorin where it was explained the money had
arrived from Abuja.

“We proceeded to party secretariat at Fate to constitute a
committee for the sharing of the money for the election.

“As directed by the APC national secretariat, sharing committee
consisted of Hon. Bolarinwa, the Governor and myself.

“Also included were the three senatorial candidates, three out
of the six House Reps candidates of the party, the state secretary
of the party, the party treasurer, a party leader and a national
official who was Mr. Lanre Onilu.

“As I clearly remember, nobody took custody of that money. It
was shared according to guidelines sent by the party.”

He, however, stated that the current rancour in the party though
sad, should be expected given the process of APC formation.

He explained that the party was made up of different tendencies,
“much like strange bedfellows.

“There were people among us who were used to opposition politics
and naturally resorted to their natural instinct,” he said

Mustapha, however, implored the aggrieved APC members to retrace
their steps, urging them to join hands with the governor in
developing the state.

“The stakeholders should sheathe their swords. Let us come
together; if there is any issue we are not cleared about, let us
ask the governor for clarification.

‘If he makes amend, fine, if he doesn’t listen to us, then we
should wait to react at the appropriate time. This is the time for
governance and not politics. Let’s allow the governor to
concentrate on governance,” he said.