Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

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Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, has alleged that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, are facing serious difficulty in raising funds for the 2019 presidential election campaigns.
Nabena, in a statement he signed and circulated to newsmen in Abuja, yesterday, he attributed the difficulty in raising funds to the stringent measures put in place by the present administration.
He also claimed that the opposition party is in a dilemma on how to source funds to prosecute the Atiku presidential campaign.
The APC deputy spokesperson also claimed that details from the PDP’s recent strategy meeting in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate indicated that there is a major setback in sourcing campaign funds.
“The presidential candidate expects the party to provide funds for his campaign. But, this is the Buhari era, an era of strict accountability and transparency in the use and application of public funds and not the (former President Goodluck)Jonathan era in 2015; when the national treasury was opened to the PDP leaders to prosecute the presidential campaign.
“Some financiers of the party expect that the candidate, having bought the ticket with millions of dollars should have the financial capacity to run his campaign but the candidate’s expectation is that it is the party that will fund his campaign. It is now clear that they are at a crossroads and the chickens have come home  to roost.
However, in a swift reaction, Atiku’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, dismissed APC’s insinuation, and stressed that the 2019 presidential election will not about financial muscle, but the supreme will of the Nigerians people.
“Nothing can stop an idea whose time has come. Nothing can stop the zeal of Nigerians to elect the president of their choice.
“This election will not be won by money, lies, propaganda or intimidation but by the supreme will of the Nigerian people; as expressed in their vote.
“Atiku will be elected president by Nigerians, in February 2019, notwithstanding the machinations of the APC-led administration,” he insisted.