Uproar in APC over non-refund of nomination fee to aspirants

The All Progressives Congress may be embroiled in crisis over the failure of the ruling party to refund nomination fees to the aspirants who stepped down during the March 26 National Convention.

It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the national leadership of the party to refund the aspirants the amount of funds they paid to purchase the expression of interest and nomination forms.

It was however gathered that four months after the convention, the Abdullahi Adamu-led leadership has yet to comply with the President’s directive.

It was learnt that the party has yet to pay members engaged to conduct the congresses (ward to the National Convention) ahead of the 2023 general election.

The party, in the last two months, has also failed in the payment of staff salary as at when due.

The staff complained that while the June salary was paid in the middle of July, they received their July salary last Friday as against the usual payment on the 25th of every month.

Each of the aspirants for party offices paid amounts ranging from N20 million to N2.5 million for the expression of interest and nomination forms depending on the office they vied for.

Reports had it that the APC generated over N700 million from the about 170 persons that obtained nomination forms for various party positions from the party’s convention.

It was further gathered that the party generated over N3 billion from members who purchased the party’s expression of interest and nomination forms to contest the party’s tickets for the 2023 general election.

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It was learnt that the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) may soon be attacked by those engaged to conduct screening and party primaries that produced candidates for the 2023 general election.

Despite the failure to pay the allowances, there were speculations that the party was planning to slash the yet-to-be-paid allowances by 40 per cent.

Speaking on the development, one of the aspirants who stepped down for one of the national vice chairmanship candidates at the convention and also involved in the conduct of the party’s primary, said the affected members applied for a refund and sent a formal letter through the Forum of National Convention Aspirants but “all have gone unattended to by the party”.

“The party is buoyant. The Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Committee left huge funds, the NWC equally realised a huge amount of money running into billions of naira.

“What excuse will the leadership give for this delay? When the committee (NWC) has since paid their allowances,” the aggrieved member who spoke in confidence said.

Reacting to the development, the APC National Vice Chairman (North-West), Salihu Lukman, said the matter would soon be sorted out.

The Star