THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has challenged the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to publish its audited accounts and financial statement, if it has any.
It urged PDP to stop casting aspersions and making baseless allegations.
A statement by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said its National Convention Committee was yet to submit a budget for the event, which is expected to take place in a yet to be announced date in June.
Abdullahi, while reacting to the PDP’s claim of mismanagement of public funds against the APC for allegedly asking governors to contribute about N6 billions for the convention, said the budget for the convention was properly captured in its 2018 budget, which was approved by its National Executive Committee (NEC).
The statement reads: “In reacting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) allegations on the management of the APC finances and the funding for the party’s upcoming 2018 National Convention among other unsubstantiated allegations contained in a statement by a spokesman for the PDP, we refer the PDP to the APC’s 2016 published independent audit report and accompanying financial statements.
“In respect of the funding for our upcoming national convention, we also refer the PDP to our earlier issued statement (http://officialapcng.com/re- despite-owing-salaries-apc- governors-to-contribute- n6billion-for-upcoming- congresses-convention/) and also invite PDP to note that the APC convention committee has not submitted a budget for the convention.
“Besides, the expenses for the national convention to elect national officers and the presidential convention are duly captured in our 2018 budget. Therefore, the issue of N6 billion convention expenses is neither here nor there.
“While we assure Nigerians that the APC has not adopted the PDP’s practice of dipping their hands into the public till to fund its political activities as brazenly displayed during the 2015 elections, we equally call on the PDP to emulate the APC’s best practice of financial probity and openness by making public their audited reports and financial statements, if they have any.”