FACT-CHECK: Contrary to Senator’s claims, checks show Ishaku Abbo is not among the list of PDP financiers in 2015/2019 in Adamawa North
The claim, Wednesday, by the Senator representing Adamawa North in the Nigerian Senate, Ishaku Abbo, that he single handily finance the PDP in Adamawa north senatorial district prior to 2015 and 2019 is false
Also untrue, our findings show that Mr. Abbos’s claim that he spends over hundred million naira on election expenses is false; checks by THE FINDER have shown.
In his controversial statement made via a video posted on his facebook page, Abbo with the knowledge of the electoral act boast in the viral video that he spend over hundred million naira on election expenses contrary to section 91 of the electoral act 2010 as amended.
See 91 of the electoral act as amended.
- (1) Election expenses shall not exceed the sum stipulated in subsections (2) – The maximum amount of election expenses to be incurred in respect of Senatorial seat by a candidate at an election to the National Assembly shall be N40,000,000 while the seat for House of Representatives shall be N20,000,000.
Penalty
(10)A candidate who knowingly acts in contravention of this section commits an offence and on conviction is liable in the case of –
Senatorial election in the National Assembly election to a fine ofN600,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of 6 months or both;
Senator Abbo had, during a birthday party organised in his personal residence for a lady whose affinity to him is not clear rejected media report by THE FINDER newspaper that he has not flagon a single constituency projects since his inauguration as a senator some months ago.
THE FINDER newspaper had on Tuesday, September 8, 2020 published an investigative report on the three senators representing Adamawa in the Nigerian Senate, which Abbo came top on list of Senators without a single constituency projects or empowerment of any sort.
In the investigative report THE FINDER based her findings on lack of any elephant projects initiated by Abbo, as most projects Abbo lay claims to was initiated by Gov. Fintiri not Abbo, the only projects that is visible is the painting of classrooms in some of the local council under his constituency.
Speaking during a live video streamed via Facebook penultimate Tuesday, Abbo told tens of Youths in his sitting room that “I saw something two days ago, this night I will be making a post on my facebook wall, I have been in the senate for one year, I deliberately refused to showcase what you called projects, there must be deliberate effort by the media to educate our people the role of the legislature should be clearly defined and specify, so that they should not mistake a senator for a Governor who received 6 to ten billion naira every month, this night when one of my supporter ask me where is my projects.
“I will show you this night sector by sector of the economy, in the last one year I initiate seventeen capital projects most of them are funded from my pocket and if you think if I don’t have money to finance my projects who finance my election? Nobody gave me two million to contest election.
“I have no godfather, in 2014/2015 I spent over 100 million naira to contest for senate and yet we were not allowed under PDP that time because of impunity, in 2014 the refuse to conduct election in Adamawa instead took it to Abuja, that is why we team up and decamped to APC in 2015, we thought PDP have learned their lessons.
“I invested over 100 million in the PDP. I sustained PDP in northern zone for three years, if you see any PDP office in the northern zone I pay the rents, if you see the flag of the party I paid for it, I sustained PDP in Adamawa for years.
“Impunity is worse under Fintiri as he never invested in the party, he lack two million naira during his campaign in fact we funded his campaign, without us there is no Fintiri, he came and became intoxicated and see us as non-human, that’s why every big man in PDP is leaving, am also leaving.
“I talk because am not a thief, am not being prosecuted by the EFCC, am not under bail from EFCC to contest election, the people that are bail from EFCC that stole Adamawa money we know them, am clean my hands are clean, they said am in the senate without capital projects, I will begin to showcase it every week.
“Some of them are completed 100 percent. Some are 95 percent I have never been to anywhere to go and flag it off, today am releasing the projects I have carried out in every sectors, I will start from this night
However, checks by THE FINDER showed that Abbo is economical with the truth in regard to financing PDP in the northern zone and the state as Messrs. Fintiri and Abbo enjoyed the umbrella of the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar whose election held same day with Abbo, there is no way Abbo would have claimed that Atiku factor did not contribute 99 percent to his victory in the 2019 general election.
Mr. Abbo’s claim of spending over 100 million has been punctured by a member of the SWC of the PDP in Adamawa state who pleaded anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the issues.
The source told this medium that the PDP presidential candidate bank roll almost all the candidates that contested election in Adamawa and there is no way Abbo’s financial worth can amount to the figure he gathered youths that lack knowledge of investigation to lied to them regarding financing the party when Atiku and the Governor is there.
“The party offices he claimed to have rented was due to his interest in contesting the senate seat, we have those that brought out money to donate the party, renting offices does not translate to bankrolling election on the election day.
Also, the claim by Ishaku Abbo that the Governor was not worth 2 million naira in 2019 election is false as investigation by THE FINDER show Abbo rode on the goodwill of the presidential candidate of the PDP to win in 2019.
The party source told this news medium that, “where did Abbo work in his life to garner the millions of naira he is boasting of, this is somebody that has no work experience anywhere before he contested for that election, where can he possibly generate 100 million from? The source queried.
“This empty lies and vain glorious boast from Abbo, we are not new to it, we challenge Abbo to tell us where he has worked before. I pity the youths he was deceiving as many of them look at him with disbelief in their eyes.
Regarding the projects, THE FINDER awaits the senators’ Facebook post to show case his project in all sector as he earlier promised.
A check on his Facebook wall by THE FINDER, the senator is yet to fulfil his promises of showcasing his achievements in all sector, apart from some few classrooms painted by UBEC in some local council under is constituency. Despite claiming that the role of a legislature is not to initiate capital projects but to make laws, a position that is at variance with other lawmakers in the senate that have been building classrooms, building boreholes and prioritising youth’s empowerments.
Despite claiming Governors received 6 to 10 billion naira monthly, Abbo refused to disclose the millions of naira senators in the Nigerian senate are entitled to as remuneration.
Conclusion: THE FINDER can authoritatively report today that most claims of Ishaku Abbo were false and half-truth mixed with self-aggrandisement.