The Independent National Electoral Commission has been told to disqualify the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and his running mate, Ahmed Baba Datti, over alleged criminal behavior.
The call to disqualify the duo was made by the Tinubu-Shettima Connect, saying the candidates violated the Electoral Act on campaign funding.
The group threatened to institute legal action to prevent the Labour Party from taking part in the 2023 presidential election over its involvement in activities contravening the Electoral Act.
This was contained in a statement signed by its convener, Adebanjo Moyosore, on Saturday, following the inauguration of a diaspora committee by the Labour Party to raise funds for its campaigns.
The group said raising funds for campaigns from abroad through unknown persons was not only illegal but said there are consequences and implications for such acts.
Daily Report recalls that the National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, had at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, inaugurated an 11-man Diaspora Committee to organise fund-raising and other activities.
The inauguration followed a pledge by the party’s Diaspora support groups to raise $150million for Obi, and another N100billion is to be sourced from supporters in Nigeria.
According to Adebanjo, the inauguration of a Diaspora committee by the Labour Party to gather campaign funds from Nigerians in the diaspora for Obi’s presidential campaign was not “only illegal but also criminal.”
“Section 85 of the Electoral Act has clearly explained this; Section 85 (a) (b) provides that any political party that: (a) holds or possesses any fund outside Nigeria in contravention of section 225 (3) (a) of the constitution, commits an offence and shall, on conviction, forfeit the funds or assets purchased with such funds to the commission, and in addition, may be liable to a fine of at least N5million, or (b) retain any fund or other asset remitted to it from outside Nigeria in contravention of section 225,” the statement reads in part.
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