• Cleopas: Members deserve to know how party funds are managed
•Party unveils campaign council, commissions national secretariat
•Umeh seeks greater funding for state chapters as chairman pledges reconciliation
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja and Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) on Monday disclosed that it generated N8.529 billion from nomination forms, membership dues, levies and contributions within its first seven months of operation, while spending N2.402 billion on primaries, publicity, staff salaries and other activities.
The party presented the financial figures at its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja, where its National Chairman, Senator Moses Cleopas, said the disclosure was intended to promote transparency and accountability in the management of the party’s resources ahead of its first anniversary.
The NEC Meeting was attended by the National Leader of the party, Senator Henry Seriake Dickson; the Presidential Candidate of the party, Mr. Peter Obi; his Vice, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; serving and former members of the National Assembly and other notable leaders of the party, among others.
Cleopas said the party decided to account for its finances before the statutory deadline for submitting its audited accounts to the relevant government institutions, insisting that members had a right to know how funds entrusted to their leaders were being managed.
He said the decision was not prompted by allegations or criticisms on social media but reflected the party’s commitment to accountability and responsible leadership.
According to him, the party’s leadership considered it necessary to provide members with an early account of its financial position, even though the NDC had yet to complete its first year of operation.
He said, “One of the critical instruments that destroys leadership or communal living, as I have been taught, is the management of public funds. When you have a responsibility to sit over a public forum, you also owe the people who entrusted you with that privilege an obligation to be open to them.
“They must know what you are doing from time to time. Any attempt to foreclose that will lead to suspicion and give room for people to say what is not true.
“When you find yourself in a leadership position, accountability must be your sense of duty, especially when it has to do with common wealth.
“That is what Nigeria is suffering from. Nigeria is so blessed. We cannot say that we do not have resources in this country. The question we are asking is: where are our resources? What are our resources being used for that will bring relief or blessings to Nigerian citizens?”
The national chairman said the NDC would submit its properly audited financial statement to the constitutionally authorised institutions when the appropriate reporting period ended.
He explained that the party’s financial management process involved a committee comprising the national chairman, national secretary, financial secretary, treasurer and auditor, with the party’s legal adviser co-opted when necessary.
The National Treasurer, Dr Peter Onigah, presented the financial statement at the meeting, outlining the funds received and expenditure incurred during the period under review.
The disclosure comes as the NDC intensifies preparations for the 2027 general election, with the party also inaugurating its presidential campaign council, present certificates of return to its candidates and commission its national secretariat at the Jabi Area of Abuja.
Cleopas said the activities were part of efforts to strengthen the party’s structures and demonstrate its readiness for the forthcoming elections.
He said the inauguration of the presidential campaign council followed consultations aimed at identifying people willing to commit their time and resources to the party’s electoral project.
“It is not a matter of rushing to announce a campaign council. It is a matter of getting people who are committed, people who are ready to serve this nation in that capacity,” he said.
The chairman also cautioned party members against interpreting the initial list of campaign council appointments as a complete representation of all those who would eventually be involved.
“Some are calling to ask, ‘Why is my name not there? Why is my name not there?’ We are not finished. Let them wait for us,” he said.
Cleopas said the party presented certificates of return to its candidates to prevent individuals who did not win its primaries from parading themselves as candidates and misleading voters.
He described the NDC as a party intended to outlive its founding leaders, urging young Nigerians to identify with it and prepare for future leadership responsibilities.
Cleopas said, “This party is intended to be a generational party for as long as we remain on earth. This party is intended to outlive us. And if that is the vision we have, there is a particular set of people we must target.
“We have the youth to target in this country. The reason is that they must be prepared for leadership. So, this is a party of mentorship,” he said.
Umeh Seeks Funding for State Chapters
At the meeting, Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central, commended the party’s leadership for making its financial position available to members, describing the disclosure as an important step towards building public confidence.
Umeh said providing financial information would help members understand the party’s operations rather than rely on speculation.
He, however, called on the national leadership to ensure that state chapters received an appropriate share of the funds generated through their activities.
Responding, Cleopas said the issue of funding for state chapters was already under consideration, assuring members that the party would address the matter in line with its constitution and organisational objectives.
The chairman also disclosed that the party’s reconciliation committee had visited the six geopolitical zones to engage aggrieved aspirants and other members dissatisfied with the outcomes of its primaries.
He said the national secretariat was holding regular meetings to resolve outstanding disagreements and prevent internal disputes from undermining the party’s preparations for the elections.
Cleopas urged candidates, party leaders and supporters to put aside their differences and work collectively for the success of all NDC candidates.
He said the party could not afford to allow personal disagreements to weaken its electoral prospects, particularly when its presidential and vice-presidential candidates would require the support of lawmakers and other elected representatives to implement their programmes if elected.
The chairman argued that supporting only the party’s presidential candidate while abandoning its candidates for governorship and legislative seats could undermine the party’s ability to govern effectively.
He said, “Don’t you also know that they need a majority, if not all, in the National Assembly from our party? If you don’t know so, how will they get the president they want? How will they get the Senate president or the speaker of their choice?
“You may not like the face of the candidates, but they are your party’s candidates. We must work together so that we can have the Nigeria of our dreams.”
NDC Insists on Candidate Compliance, Vote Protection
The NEC meeting also heard updates from party officials on preparations for the 2027 elections, including efforts to resolve disputes involving candidates and strengthen the party’s grassroots structures.
The National Vice-Chairman for the North-east, Dr Dallamiya Nzukumbe, said preparations were progressing, although the party had encountered some disagreements between candidates and party leaders in certain areas.
He said the leadership was working to resolve the disputes and ensure that the party’s structures remained focused on the elections.
Nzukumbe also urged Nigerians to reject the notion that their votes would not count, calling on voters to remain at polling units after casting their ballots to ensure that votes were counted and results properly documented.
“We will vote, we will wait, and we will escort,” he said, stressing that the party wanted an electoral process in which votes cast at polling units were accurately reflected in the final results.
He said voters in the North were particularly concerned about insecurity, the disruption of farming activities and attacks on schools, adding that residents wanted to return to their farms, travel safely and send their children to school without fear.
“The children in the North must go to school,” he said.
Another party official, speaking on preparations in the southern part of the country, said the party was working to resolve outstanding disputes arising from its primaries and restore harmony among members.
He said the NDC was intensifying voter education and sensitisation on electoral responsibilities, particularly the need for voters and party agents to protect their votes after voting.
According to him, the party was documenting its agents and working with candidates at different levels to ensure adequate representation at polling units and collation centres.
He urged voters not to leave polling units immediately after casting their ballots but to remain until the votes were counted and the results properly recorded.
Cleopas, in his closing remarks, also addressed concerns over the omission of some candidates’ names from the relevant electoral processes.
He said the party was pursuing both administrative and legal avenues to address the matter and expressed confidence that candidates who had fulfilled the requirements of the law would be able to contest the elections.
“The party is not folding its hands. The party is interfacing on administrative fronts and legal fronts,” he said.
He added that the leadership was conscious of its responsibility to candidates who had completed the required processes and would continue to pursue the matter.
The NDC chairman urged members to remain united as the party moved from internal preparations to the next phase of its electoral activities.
He said the party’s immediate priorities included commissioning its national secretariat, inaugurating the presidential campaign council, presenting certificates to its candidates and resolving outstanding grievances before the 2027 general election.