Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has perfected a strategy to rake in the sum of N1.2 billion monthly from dues collection as part of efforts to generate funds internally.
The party which has been experiencing funding challenges, hopes to overcome it through a newly acquired software system which enables it to deduct the sum of N100 monthly from the members’ airtime as they recharge their mobile telephones.
Speaking on the efficacy of the initiative, the National Treasurer of the party, Alhaji Ibrahim Gwagwarwa, said the software was designed in such a way that N100 would be deducted from each members mobile phones automatically from airtime recharge at the end of every month.
According to him, the sum of N1.2 billion was arrived at based on the of registered APC members currently put at 12 million.
The treasurer, whose office is warehousing the software, also stated that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has approved the electronic system for membership dues collection.
He said the party was making arrangement to decentralise the installations to make it easy for members to be captured in all the geopolitical zones.
However, THISDAY gathered that the leadership of the party is delaying the commencement of the initiative due to general disenchantment among the party members over the poor reward system in the ruling party.
A source told THISDAY that when the plan to tax members was mentioned to the state chairmen during a recent meeting, it elicited negative reactions as they complained that most of the members were left out of consideration in federal appointments so far made by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
The National Treasurer also stated that the party expects to generate income from two other ways, namely levies and donations.
He said in line with the template developed for the exercise, ministers and senators as public office holders on the platform of the party are expected to make a payment of N100,000 monthly as levies, while governors and other chieftains of the party are expected to make donations to the party.
These payments also would be captured by the party’s electronic system once they are paid through the banks into the party’s bank accounts.
On the advantages of the system, the national treasurer stated that it would make for accountability as all the monies that come into the party would be captured in the system.
He also stated that the system would show with ease members who are financially up to date in their financial dealings with the party.
“The party would look at the financial record of anybody who wants anything from the party in the system and only those who make financial contributions to the party would be considered,†he said.
