PDP used public funds to finance campaigns – Osinbajo

The Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has admonished political parties to refrain from diverting fund meant for public services into party campaigns, disclosing that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, is investigating some Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, stalwarts because the party diverted money meant for public services to fund political campaigns or other questionable purposes.

Speaking yesterday at the 2016 Annual Conference of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, held at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, Osinbajo dismissed claim that the anti-corruption war was selective and targeted at members of the main opposition party, noting that it was aimed at bringing sanity to the polity in order to sustain democracy in the country.

He spoke through his Special Assistant on Political Parties, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, expressing consternation over the manner fund budgeted for arms procurement to fight insurgency were diverted into political campaigns and funneled into private accounts of chieftains of the erstwhile ruling PDP.

His words, “Politics and elections should not be about going to war or ‎the depletion of public resources. Never again will government agencies be used in favour of any political party to win elections. The war against corruption is not targeted at the opposition parties.

“What government is doing now is that money meant for essential services should not be diverted to fund campaigns or to any other purpose,” he said.

Explaining further on the anti-corruption drive, Osinbajo disclosed that investigations had revealed that huge sums of money voted for security were diverted ‎into private pockets while part of the money was used for election campaigns by the PDP-led government.

He stated that there had to be a stop to the malfeasance, adding that IPAC should play a critical role in educating political parties and the general public on the issue so that ‎democracy can survive in Nigeria.

The Vice-President recounted the terrible experience of the military in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents during the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan, when some soldiers went into battle with obsolete weapons.