Former chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property, Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla, has slammed the opposition Labour Party for inaugurating a diaspora committee to raise funds from Nigerians living abroad to prosecute its presidential campaign.He said LP runs the risk of a money laundering or terrorism financing investigation in Nigeria or abroad.Obono-Obla, an APC stalwart, described the action by LP as illegal, quoting Section 85 of the Electoral Act and Nigeria’s Consecration section 225.It would be recalled that last week, the LP constituted the committee to mobilise funds from eager Nigerians living abroad reported to be longing to support what they call the Peter Obi revolution.In a statement where he reacted, Obono-Obla who is a lawyer and activist, said the Nigeria electoral law forbids political parties from raising funds from abroad to use to finance their electioneering campaigns or elections.Section 85 of the Electoral Act is explicit. Section 85 (a) (b) provides thatany political party that :The former special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on prosecution also faulted the party, saying their action has violated the country’s 1999 constitution.”“Nigeria’s constitution also forbids possession of funds by the candidate or political party from abroad. “Section 225 (2) (3) (4) (a) (b) & (5) of the Constitution provides that : Every political party shall submit to the Independent National Electoral Commission a detailed annual statement and analysis of its sources of funds and other assets together with a similar statement of its expenditure in such form as the Commission may require.(3) No political party shall –(a) hold or possess any funds or other assets outside Nigeria; or(b) be entitled to retain any funds or assets remitted or sent to it from outside Nigeria.(4) Any funds or other assets remitted or sent to a political party from outside Nigeria shall be paid over or transferred to the Commission within twenty-one days of its receipt with such information as the Commission may require.”According to him, what LP has done has made them vulnerable to an investigation for money laundering, maintaining that the law concerning money laundering in the country is strict.He advised that a candidate or political must be wary of accepting money or fund from abroad, saying a political party or candidate could receive campaign funds from a criminal syndicate or corrupt people, arms traffickers, human trafficking, drug traffickers.
