APC sues NCC for fund-raising portal shutdown
The All Progressives Congress has
instructed its lawyers to challenge the shutdown of some of its
fund-raising platforms by the National Communications Commission.
This was revealed by the Governor of
Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola, at a meeting of the Fund Raising
Directorate of the APC Presidential Council, in Abuja, on Sunday.
He explained that the party was left
with no choice but to seek legal redress after an action that was
clearly a breach of constitutional provisions as well as double
standard.
Fashola said the directive to shut the
platform was contained in a letter dated January 19 with reference
number NCC/CAB/GEN/2015/VOL.1/004, which was signed by officials of the
NCC.
Those who signed it included the
Director of Consumer Affairs, Maryam Bayi and the Head of Legal and
Regulatory Services, Yinka Akinloye, on behalf of the NCC Executive Vice
Chairman, Dr. Eugene Juwah.
Fashola recalled that in 2010, approval
was given to the Jonathan/Sambo campaign organisation to raise funds
using such a platform but that the APC was being denied the same right
in 2015.
He said, “We have advised our lawyers to
go to court, they are preparing the papers now. In 2010 approval was
given to the Jonathan/Sambo campaign to raise fund (using such a
platform).The rule seems to have changed in 2015.”
Fashola, who is the Director of
Buhari/Osibanjo Campaign Fund, also explained to the gathering that the
fund-raising platform which included the sale of scratch cards and
donations into the designated First Bank Plc account was still valid.
He noted that even though the platform
was established when Buhari was still seeking for the party’s nomination
as flag bearer, it was still up and running and supporters could still
donate.
