2023: Stop funding your campaigns with public funds–TMG warns public officers
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By Editor and agency report
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, has asked serving public officers to stop using public funds and apparatus for their electioneering campaigns.
The Chairman, TMG, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, who said this, while pointing at Section 84, of the Electoral Act, noted that political appointees and other public servants who wants to contest for elective positions should tender their letter of resignation and are mandated to resign their appointments as conditions to contest during the 2023 general elections.
Rafsanjani also said it is totally unacceptable for public officer holders to use taxpayers’ funds and collective resources of Nigerians to fund personal political ambition.
He said: “We are living witnesses to how ministers and other top public office holders use state apparatus such as government jets, public cars as well as funds to run their personal ambitions which wrongfully does not create a level playing ground and is a bad omen for our democracy.
“A lot of public government officials make a public declaration of their intentions to contest elections and are still holding on to their positions which is against Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.
“To this end, in compliance with the provision, all political appointees, and other public servants serving in government aspiring for political offices should submit their resignation letters and run their campaigns legally as this will not be condoned by Nigerians.”
The TMG boss also condemned price tags on nomination and expression of interest forms sold by party primaries, and this is a way to exclude credible leaders that would have emerged.
He said only people with access to “corrupt funds” and those with plans to recoup their wealth when elected into public office could purchase it.
However, he called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, and anti-graft agencies to focus on huge spending that would take place at the party conventions in order to monitor aspirants who would buy delegates’ votes with various sums of money including foreign currencies.
He advised INEC to ensure that parties submit their audited reports as required by the Act.
