₦airaland Forum

Some lawyers, including Senior Advocates of Nigeria, have called for the prosecution of the Peoples Democratic Party and those who donated over N21. 27bn towards President Goodluck Jonathan’s electioneering.

They said in separate ineterviews with The PUNCH on Tuesday that the donors breached the Electoral Act by exceeding the limit stipulated by the Act.

Section 91(9) of the Act reads, “An individual or other entity shall not donate more than N1,000,000 to any candidate.”

Sub-section 10 of the same section adds that a presidential candidate “who knowingly acts in contravention of this section commits an offence and on conviction is liable to a maximum fine of N1m or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both.”

Section 91(2) of the same Act states that, “The maximum election expenses to be incurred by a candidate at a presidential election shall be N1bn.”

The lawyers – Prof. Itse Sagay, Femi Falana, Emeka Ngige, Mr. Jiti Ogunye and Monday Ubani – said the Peoples Democratic Party dinner/fund-raiser on Saturday was the height of impunity by the ruling party.

While Sagay said the whole exercise was suspicious, Falana and Ogunye argued that the PDP and the donors needed to be punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

Falana, a SAN, said both the President and the PDP also violated the section of the Act which pegs expenses for presidential campaign at N1bn.

He said while the President could be spared from prosecution because of the immunity he currently enjoys, the PDP should be tried and the money in excess of N1bn forfeited to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

He said, “It is the height of impunity by the ruling party. The maximum election expenses cannot exceed N1bn by virtue of section 90 of the Electoral Act.

“The PDP and President Jonathan have violated the law. The President enjoys immunity but the PDP is liable to prosecution and if convicted the fine is N1m while any amount which exceeds the prescribed limit shall be forfeited to INEC.”

Falana, who urged INEC to implement the provisions of the law, added that “the impunity was promoted by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who extorted huge sums from government contractors and departments for election and the so-called presidential library.”.......................

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http://www.punchng.com/news/lawyers-demand-pdp-donors-trial/

Good luck with that.

Amaechi that handed out 17billion naira just for primaries will now be allowed to walk free.

donmalcolm21:
Amaechi that handed out 17billion naira just for primaries will now be allowed to walk free.

Source please. It is only here that a government agency will donate N500M in such an awkward manner. An agency that is almost non-functional in providing Nigerians with constant power.

Chemical2:
Source please. It is only here that a government agency will donate N500M in such an awkward manner. An agency that is almost non-functional in providing Nigerians with constant power.

all over the world individuals or corporations donate funds for campaign. Its only illega if its from a govt parastatal

this is really laughable

I need 100 naira and the law says people should only give 500 naira as donation.. I called a family meeting and told them my plight and out of goodwill, I was given a thousand naira please what should I do? give back the remaining 500 to them because of the law?

the only issue I see here is if any individual gave above a million naira that individual can be prosecuted but why prosecute Jonathan or pdp for raising a certain amount

or is there something I lack understanding on? I'll like to be clarified

All this apc lawyers and sans soda looking for loop holes sha they won't have big money next year when apc lose election cos apc say them go do am illegal....if they doing illegal let the governors follow d fight oo...not leave it 4 youths and elope with their jet can't wait to see lai mohammed and tinubu together wt amaechi bitten to pulp

Oil subsidy money

donmalcolm21:
all over the world individuals or corporations donate funds for campaign. Its only illega if its from a govt parastatal

And how many ministries donates funds for his campaign.

Almost all of them...... So I guess most of his funds are illegal

okiezman:
All this apc lawyers and sans soda looking for loop holes sha they won't have big money next year when apc lose election cos apc say them go do am illegal....if they doing illegal let the governors follow d fight oo...not leave it 4 youths and elope with their jet can't wait to see lai mohammed and tinubu together wt amaechi bitten to pulp

And you want to believe that the electoral laws weren't breached by the donors of this bogus amount.
Where an individual can donate 2billion for a campaign

dre11:
And you want to believe that the electoral laws weren't breached by the donors of this bogus amount.
Where an individual can donate 2billion for a campaign

I do wateva I want wt my money u dnt tell me how to spend it