APGA chair: Political parties can’t do well without govt funding

Victor Oye, the National Chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance on Wednesday, raised concerns over the challenge of poor funding which, he said, was the great problem of most political parties in Nigeria.

According to him, the situation has not allowed political parties to live up to expectations as a major stakeholder in the electoral process.

The assertion was made by Oye during an interactive session between the national chairmen of political parties in Nigeria and the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria held in Abuja.

He said that there was no way political parties could function optimally without proper funding.

“There is no way we can develop as political parties if our leaders fail to imbibe these characteristics.

“May I state without any equivocation that political parties in Nigeria have not been able to live up to their billing because of lack of funds.

“There is no way political parties can function optimally without proper funding. There was a time the Nigerian government was funding the parties. But this was suddenly stopped for no explainable reason. Since the stoppage, the parties have been literally left in a lurch”, he said.

Oye said, as political party leaders, they would continue to do their best “to run our parties with utmost sense of responsibility and seriousness, not minding the enormous tasks facing us.”

While speaking on the Nigerian-Chinese relations, the APGA national chairman said that Nigeria and China share a lot of things in common and that it is not limited to diplomacy.

“The long history of relations between Nigeria and China has made this event a must-hold. It affords political actors in Nigeria a rare peep into the legendary CPC which for 100 years has helped to turn the Chinese Republic into a formidable global power.

“Nigeria and China share a lot of things in common, though not limited to diplomacy. Both nations have enjoyed the rich experience of each other in the areas of culture, economy and education. It is, therefore, no wonder that many Nigerian businessmen and women have found their way into the Chinese markets and are doing very well.

“By coming together here, we are challenged to learn a few things from your rich reservoir of knowledge and experience which we will hopefully plough back into the administration of our various political parties,” he said.