Lagos PDP accuses Gov. Fashola of sponsoring APC registration with state funds

The Lagos State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, of sponsoring the ongoing membership registration of the All Progressives Congress, APC, with state funds. 

The party also accused Mr. Fashola of crippling governance in the state in order to participate and monitor the registration exercise.

The PDP also accused the 57 council chairmen in Lagos of also using council funds for the party registration exercise. The APC controls the 57 local council development areas of Lagos.

“We can now confirm that the ongoing APC membership registration, especially in Lagos State, is enjoying the sponsorship of Governor Fashola. The Governor has also condoned the decision of the 57 Council chairmen to divert their council funds into the clearly Party exercise.

“They have spent at least N7 billion paying for the Registration Materials, Staff, Massive Promo Adverts at all levels, Inducing persons to register etc. This amount could have been better utilised to improve the lives of Lagosians,” the PDP said in a statement by its spokesperson, Taofik Gani, on Monday.

The PDP also said it may invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to probe the allegation.

“This Party, APC, has no membership yet and cannot claim any financial membership as well. Who then is bankrolling their ongoing membership registration process? Governor Fashola must give us answer to this question. Lagosians demand to know. We have more strong Direct and Circumstantial evidence for the EFCC to proof that the ongoing APC membership registration is being sponsored from the Lagos State treasury,” it said.

The APC has, however, dismissed the claims of the Lagos PDP.

“This people (PDP) are getting paranoid, and it appears they have no respect for money. N7 billion? Well for the record, the registration exercise is sponsored wholly by the party and the entire budget is not even close to N1 billion,” the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Lai Mohammed fumes.

Lagos is one of the 16 states governed by the APC.