Candidates in Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State have lamented that shortage of funds has limited their outreach to the voters.
The electoral body, INEC, approved the campaigns by the 14 political parties fielding candidates in the election to start on June 21 and run until 24 hours to the election.
After over 80 days out on the field, the candidates and officials of six parties in separate interviews with PREMIUM TIMES explained how they had sourced funds for their exploits.
Contrary to the assumption that campaigns are funded by the parties, most of the candidates said they raised the bulk of their campaign funds through loans, personal savings, and donations from friends.
“Finance is very important in the conduct of political parties and if you want to contest, it is money. I have been running here and there looking for money, for who to sponsor me,” the Social Democratic Party’s (SDP) candidate, Felix Obayagbon, said
“Those ones I borrowed, those ones sent to me by my children and the assistance from friends have been what I have been relying on to remain in the race till now,” he said.
Mr. Obayagbon said he had spent over N3 million as of the time he spoke with our reporter on Tuesday.
Because of his financial challenge, he said some of his party’s local government chairmen had sold out by mobilizing for either of the two major parties who pay them better.
The Action People’s Party’s (APP) candidate, Osalumese Areloegbe, spoke in the same vein.
