The National Chairman of Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, said the party requires fund to complete its national secretariat building located in the central area of Abuja.
Tukur made the remark when he inaugurated a 20-man National Finance Committee to reposition the party’s finance base in Abuja on Wednesday.
He called on the committee members to help to mobilise resources to ensure the completion of the twelve-storey building.
“I charge you to help this party mobilise resources to help PDP carry out good work”, Tukur said.
He also called on party members and public spirited individuals to support the party.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the setting up of the committee had earlier been approved by the National Working Committee of the party.
The committee is reconstituted every four years to help to manage the party`s finances.
Chairman of the committee, Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, who is also Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, assured that lack of finance would become a thing of the past in the party.
“We want to assure you that we are alive to our responsibilities and rising from here, the story would change”.
To achieve results, he said the committee would understudy major ruling political parties across the world to find out how they were funded.
“We are going to take a look at how African National Congress in South Africa and the Democratic Party in America are funded.
“We would also look at how the Labour Party in the United Kingdom is funded.
“We would go round, and by the time we are through with our study, we would come out with a comprehensive strategy that would be legal and acceptable to all the party’s faithful.
“We want to assure you that this is a turning point for PDP”.
He promised that the committee members would not go outside the party`s constitution or do anything illegal to achieve its objectives.
He said the PDP was not owned by any region, tribe or individual, “and that is why the party would continue ruling.
“Mr Chairman, you should sleep well because if you look at our opponents, they are now on the 11th name and by 2015, they would be going to the 13th name.
“And Nigerians would have forgotten whether they are AC, CNC, ANC or APC”.
He thanked party leadership for the confidence reposed on the members of the committee to serve
Gov. Ibrahim Shema of Katsina is to serve as Deputy Chairman of the committee.
The members are the Ministers of Petroleum and Transport, Mrs Diezian Alison-Madueke and Sen. Idris Umar respectively, Elder Bolaji Ananih, Sen. Ike Ikwerenmadu and Sen. Hope Uzordima.
Others are Mr Ben Okoye, Alhaji Shittu Mohammed, Alhaji Sani Dauda, King A.J Tunner and Alhaji Bala Buhari, among others. (NAN)