The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied claims that it asked members to contribute ₦10,000 to fund electoral and other party activities.
The denial was contained in a statement on Sunday by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, who accused the platform of making such claims against the party of sensationalizing its report.
The PDP spokesperson explained that the party, while responding to a question on how it intends to fund its political activities in the wake of recent defections by some governors, mentioned voluntary contributions by members and never placed a levy on members.
It accused the platform which published the news of placing a ₦10,000 levy on members of intentionally sensationalizing its headline.
Ememobong clarified that while the PDP believes in voluntary contributions, as a legitimate and time-tested model of grassroots political funding, the reference to ₦10,000 was purely illustrative, intended to demonstrate the collective strength of voluntary support, and not a directive, levy, or mandatory contribution.
The full statement reads: “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has noted with concern a report published by a media platform, The Observer Times, under the misleading headline: “PDP Calls on Members to Contribute N10,000 Each in Bid to Fund Party Activities.” The headline is as false as it is misleading, and does not reflect the substance of what was stated.
“Although the body of the report correctly quoted remarks made during the interview, the headline represents either clickbait or a subjective interpretation of the interview. Other credible media organisations reported the same interview accurately, without resorting to sensationalism.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the following is a verbatim excerpt of the response given to a question on how the PDP intends to fund its political activities in the wake of recent defections by some governors:
“The strategy is simple: go back to the people. When the people are with you voluntarily, they fund the cause. In 1998, people made small contributions to fund the party, and that gave them a voice.
“We are returning to that voluntary model. For example, if 60 million Nigerians give N10,000 each, that’s a huge sum. We are already seeing this kind of mass support in states like Plateau and Akwa Ibom.”
“The statement above clearly affirms the PDP’s belief in voluntary contributions, irrespective of amount, as a legitimate and time-tested model of grassroots political funding. The reference to N10,000 was purely illustrative, intended to demonstrate the collective strength of voluntary support, and not a directive, levy, or mandatory contribution.
“Let it be stated unequivocally: there is no fixed amount, no compulsory payment, and no obligation imposed on any member of the PDP.
“We therefore urge our members and the public to discountenance the misleading headline and continue to support the party at all levels in ways they consider appropriate and convenient.”