Nigerians contributed N595.9m for Peter Obi’s election – Obi-Datti

The Obi/Baba-Ahmed Presidential Campaign Organisation has provided a detailed account of its financial transactions, revealing expenditures of over N744.5 million on litigation related to the 2023 presidential election, alongside donations amounting to N595,976,994.00 received from Nigerians.

Aisha Yesufu, the Chairman of the Fundraising Team of the Campaign Organisation, delivered this disclosure during a presentation on Thursday, emphasizing the principles of accountability and transparency in handling campaign funds.

She expressed gratitude to all donors, highlighting the importance of explaining how contributions were utilized. Yesufu stated, ”Accountability and transparency are very critical and important; that is why we asked people to donate so that we could come back to them to explain how their money was judiciously used.”

Yesufu continued, ”We thank everyone who donated in cash and kindness.” She further disclosed, ”From the donations from citizens, we received N595,976,994. This is the money we raised from the four accounts that we have talked about.”

Regarding contributions from the candidate himself, Yesufu mentioned, ”We also received N8,000,00.00 from the candidate himself (Peter Obi).”

The organisation strategically directed its efforts toward rallying support for Peter Obi and Datti Ahmed, engaging numerous support groups nationwide. Yesufu explained, ”We designed a strategic blueprint focused on channelling the movement energy and support for Peter Obi and Datti Ahmed with different support groups.”

She elaborated on the outreach efforts, stating, ”We provided direct and indirect support to over a hundred support groups across all 36 states in Nigeria.” Additionally, Yesufu mentioned, ”We also deployed media-related campaigns that reached over 11 million people, leveraging over 40 radio stations, community outreach, and social media.”

Given financial limitations, the campaign prioritized judicious allocation of resources, opting for radio broadcasting over television due to cost considerations. Yesufu clarified, ”We would have loved to use Televisions and all of that, but because of our financial constraints, we were mindful of being judicious in our usage of the funds that we received.”

Yesufu detailed the breakdown of expenses, stating, ”So, out of these things, campaign materials worth N258,374,330.00 were procured and distributed across the 36 States and also in Abuja. Media and radio broadcasting was at the cost of N16,432,867.00.”

Expenses related to election promotion amounted to N10,808,948.00, while N324,381,700.00 was dedicated to polling unit agents. Bank charges and administrative expenses totaled N1,750,544.00 and N477,000.00 respectively.

The significant portion of the funds, N744,500,000.00, was allocated to cover legal expenses, with an additional N28,500,000.00 utilized for campaign and election activities. Yesufu reiterated, ”On the issue of legal fees, remember what I said earlier: We had N800,000,000.00 that the candidate himself brought.”