Peter Obi warned that he could face prosecution for receiving money from diasporans

GOVERNOR Peter Obi's Labour Party has been warned that it risks facing money laundering and terrorism funding charges following its recent decision to launch a diaspora committee to raise funds from Nigerians living abroad.

Next February, Nigerians go to the polls to elect a new president and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi is one of the frontrunners in the contest. Other major contenders in the election are former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, former Lagos State governor Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.

Currently on a tour of North America, Governor Obi has been meeting with the Nigerian diaspora communities in the US and Canada. While there, his party has inaugurated a diaspora committee to raise funds from Nigerians living abroad to prosecute its presidential campaign.

However, Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla, the former chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property, has warned that the Labour Party runs the risk of a money laundering or terrorism financing investigation as a result.  Mr Obono-Obla, an APC stalwart, described the action by the Labour Party as illegal, quoting Section 85 of the Electoral Act and Nigeria’s Consecration section 225.

Mr Obono-Obla said Nigerian electoral laws forbid political parties from raising funds from abroad to use to finance their electioneering campaigns or elections. He added that that the Labour Party 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 said: “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.

"No political party shall hold or possess any funds or other assets outside Nigeria or be entitled to retain any funds or assets remitted or sent to it from outside Nigeria. 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 21 days of its receipt, with such information as the commission may require.”

According to Mr Obono-Obla, any candidate or political party must be wary of accepting money or fund from abroad. He added that by doing so, a political party or candidate could end up receiving campaign funds from a criminal syndicate, corrupt people, arms traffickers, human traffickers or drug dealers.