A civil society group, Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has indicted the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) for flouting the Electoral Act during the 2015 general elections.
According to the CSJ, both parties over-shot the N1 billion ceiling for presidential election campaign expenditure as stipulated in the Electoral Act.
According to the New Telegraph, the total spending of the two parties on the 2015 presidential election at over N11.65 billion.
PDP, outspent APC by about N6 billion as the report put its presidential campaign cost at N8.74 billion as against APC’s N2.91 billion.
The findings of the report was borne out of the investigation and monitoring of campaign finance and use of state administrative resources in the 2015 polls.
CSJ conduted the finidings with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and UKAID.
The Lead Director of CSJ, Eze Onyekpere, presented the report in Abuja, yesterday, October 3, revealing that money and administrative resources played an enhanced role in the outcome of the election.
Onyekpere further revealed that state governments controlled by the PDP and APC sourced for funds from their treasuries to finance the campaign of their various political parties.
“The expenditure ceiling of N1 billion was largely ignored by the candidates whilst the administrative resources and public financial resources were deployed by the two major contenders and their parties. The link between the rundown finances of states and the Federal Government, the inability to pay workers’ salaries at the state level and the 2015 elections was very clear,” he said.
Meanwhile, ahead of the Kogi and Bayelsa states governorship elections slated for November 21 and December 5 respectively, 42 candidates have been cleared and approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
According to the CSJ, both parties over-shot the N1 billion ceiling for presidential election campaign expenditure as stipulated in the Electoral Act.
According to the New Telegraph, the total spending of the two parties on the 2015 presidential election at over N11.65 billion.
PDP, outspent APC by about N6 billion as the report put its presidential campaign cost at N8.74 billion as against APC’s N2.91 billion.
The findings of the report was borne out of the investigation and monitoring of campaign finance and use of state administrative resources in the 2015 polls.
CSJ conduted the finidings with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and UKAID.
The Lead Director of CSJ, Eze Onyekpere, presented the report in Abuja, yesterday, October 3, revealing that money and administrative resources played an enhanced role in the outcome of the election.
Onyekpere further revealed that state governments controlled by the PDP and APC sourced for funds from their treasuries to finance the campaign of their various political parties.
“The expenditure ceiling of N1 billion was largely ignored by the candidates whilst the administrative resources and public financial resources were deployed by the two major contenders and their parties. The link between the rundown finances of states and the Federal Government, the inability to pay workers’ salaries at the state level and the 2015 elections was very clear,” he said.
Meanwhile, ahead of the Kogi and Bayelsa states governorship elections slated for November 21 and December 5 respectively, 42 candidates have been cleared and approved by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
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