Activist lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, has condemned the reported deduction of Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, funds in Nigeria for President Bola Tinubu’s reelection, saying it violates the country’s constitution.
Noting that such a measure would amount to one of the greatest crimes against Nigeria, Adeyanju charged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the matter.
In a terse statement he signed, Adeyanju said: “Any deduction of statutory allocations at source for the purpose of political campaigns raises grave constitutional and criminal concerns.
“Under Section 162 of the CFRN 1999 (as amended), FAAC allocations are public funds belonging to the states as federating units and held in trust for the people, not private resources to be deployed at the discretion of governors for partisan interests.
“Beyond these constitutional issues, any contribution running into billions of naira may also violate the donation limits prescribed under the Electoral Act 2022, which places a cap on individual political contributions.
“Where public funds are allegedly diverted for campaign financing, such conduct could amount to criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of office, and economic sabotage against the affected states.”
Adeyanju said the absence of transparency or the consent of the people whose resources are allegedly involved is equally troubling.
“If these allegations are true, the relevant anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC and ICPC, must immediately investigate, recover any diverted funds, and ensure that all persons involved are held accountable in accordance with the law,” he added.