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REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA, SAN AT THE BUHARI – OSINBAJO CAMPAIGN FUND-RAISING PRESS CONFERENCE ON TUESDAY 20TH JANUARY 2015
I welcome you warmly to this press briefing where we intend to brief you about our fund-raising activities for the Buhari/Osinbajo Presidential campaign.
As you might be aware, General Buhari has appointed me as the Director of the campaign fund-raising committee, and he has also appointed:
1. GOV. RABIU KWANKWASO
2. GOV. OLAGUNSOYE OYINLOLA
3. GOV. TIMIPRE SYLVA
4. OLAWALE EDUN
5. ABBAS BELLO
6. IKECHUKWU OBIORA
7. FAROUQ ADAMU ALIYU
8. SHARON IKEAZOR
9. Hon. SABO NAKUDU
10. ALH. SARDAUNA HABEEB
11. ALH. BADARU ABUBAKAR
12. ALH. BOLA OYEBODE
to serve in the committee.
They are all household names across Nigeria.
One of the things that General Buhari first said when this campaign started was that he desired to have a campaign that involved ordinary people, and that he was committing to a transparent and accountable campaign fund-raising and management.
We have taken that as a compass in developing the fundraising strategy.
Therefore ladies and gentlemen, this campaign fundraising will be different from the traditional ones that we have been accustomed to, and this is part of the CHANGE that our party, the APC, represents.
We can hear, see and feel the desire of ordinary Nigerians for CHANGE and therefore this fund raising strategy has been designed to give every ordinary Nigerian an opportunity to participate in effecting that CHANGE.
We also have seen the enthusiasm of young people to participate in this election, especially those who are voting for the first time.
Regrettably we are aware that a number of them have either been denied the opportunity to register or where they have done so, they are experiencing difficulties in getting their Permanent Voter’s Cards.
Furthermore, we note the concerns and enthusiasms of Nigerians living abroad, many of whom were forced to relocate because of electricity, security and bad governance, to participate in the elections, even though their Government is not efficient enough to allow them vote abroad by using available technology.
Today, we unveil many platforms where those who can vote and those who cannot vote can participate in the election by contributing to the Buhari-Osinbajo campaign.
This campaign will need money as every campaign does, but we are clear what we will be spending this money on.
They include payment of agents on Election Day, so that your votes will count, getting the campaign message of change to you through different media platforms, transport costs for those engaged in the campaign, printing of campaign material, but certainly we will not be using this money to build a secretariat.
All of it will go towards effecting the CHANGE you desire and to rescuing Nigeria from bad governance.
In essence, we are democratising campaign fund-raising by the strategic partnerships we have formed.
It is therefore my pleasure to announce that there will be 5 (FIVE) payment or contribution platforms and no amount will be too small.
1. BANK
5 (FIVE) banks namely First Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, Guaranty Trust Bank and Ecobank have agreed to partner with us to provide platforms for those who want to pay by cash lodgements at the bank.
They have created a special account name at our request called APC GMB PYO 2015 and have printed dedicated bank tellers that will be available at their branches across Nigeria, for you to fill and make your contributions.
These banks have a combined branch network of over 1000 branches across Nigeria, and we will welcome other banks who wish to be a part of this process.
2. E-PAYMENT
For those who want to make payments by electronic means, and these are largely younger people, our partners are the same banks and you only need to login to the domain name www.apcgmbpyo.org
Their electronic platforms will enable those who are in Nigeria and outside Nigeria to use either their telephones, their credit cards or debit cards by linking up to any of these platforms to contribute to the CHANGE they desire for Nigeria.
3. SMS
For those who want to make payment by SMS/Text messaging, all you need to do to use this platform is to text 35350 and the maximum sum of N100.00 will be credited in the donor’s name and telephone number to the Buhari-Osinbajo campaign fund.
While N100.00 is the maximum value you can text at once, you can send multiples of N100.00 by sending more text messages.
4. RINGTONES
For those who want to contribute by subscribing to ringtones, they only need to download APCGMBPYO ringtone to make a contribution of N100.00
5. SCRATCH CARD
For those who want to pay by scratch cards, our partner is ONECARD. Each scratch card has a value written on it from N100:00 (One hundred Naira) to N1500:00 (One thousand Five Hundred Naira).
For any card you buy and scratch, the value of the card will be credited in your name and phone number as your contribution towards changing bad governance if you dial *979*22*PIN# and SEND.
The operators of this platform assure us that they have 40,000 primary and accredited vendors spread across Nigeria to ensure you can get these cards. They also have thousands of secondary vendors who sell these cards.
As you make your contribution, there will be records and I will do my best to acknowledge and thank you by text messaging for every donation you make.
We expect that you will signify your desire for change in Nigeria by contributing towards this campaign and be a part of the CHANGE you desire.
No amount will be too small, but the number of you who contribute will be too large to ignore, and your votes will count this time around.
Before I conclude, let me say that all the businesses and platforms that we have partnered with have no partisan position, to the best of my knowledge.
They are, simply put, providing professional services, and this is important before the ruling party starts to threaten their businesses.
It is important to emphasise this intolerant disposition of the Ruling Party to the opposition by informing the public that our party’s domain name, which is www.APC.com.ng and which promotes Nigeria, has been shut down by the Nigerian Government because they do not want us to use any internet platform for broadcast.
Regrettably, but necessarily, we have been compelled to register a new name which they will have no control over. This new name is www.APCGMBPYO.org
This will be the electronic internet platform for payment in this fundraising.
In addition, you are all to kindly note that this is only one of the many platforms by which we intend to make the fund-raising inclusive. Other events and activities will be notified accordingly.
I will conclude by sharing with you a text message I got from Prince Monsuru as I was writing this message. He said:
“CHANGE is not a threat; it is an opportunity.”
So I urge Nigerians at home and abroad to contribute to CHANGE so that they can get the opportunity to actualize their dreams.
Thank you.
Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN
Governor of Lagos State
