THANKS BUT NO THANKS. OBAMA PUTS SKIDS ON NIGERIAN FUNDRAISER. BY CHINYERE OBINNA O.
A Nigerian group has raised eyebrows amongst the international community with their fundraising efforts in Lagos, which netted about 100 million Naira ($900,000) dollars for democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama. According to news reports, the group, Africa for Obama, organized by the director-general of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) Professor Ndidi Okereke-Onyiuke raised the monies during a dinner/concert on August 11, a gala event that attracted big-name donors and a line-up of notable performers and artistes, and where the tickets were sold in categories of Platinum and gold, with the platinum Corporate tables for eight going for as much as N2.5 million.
The Obama campaign moved quickly to disassociate themselves from the group by issuing a statement in a letter, addressed to the editor of Nigeria's Punch online. Written by the Staff Counsel for the Obama for America campaign, Ms. Kendall C. Burman, the letter,states, "----Obama for America, Inc, which is the principal campaign committee for Senator Barrack Obama in his campaign for President of the United States, and the Democratic National Committee are in no way affiliated with this event or with this organization." The campaign also stated that they would not accept any contributions from the group.
Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into the activities of the group and has seized the funds with the intention of returning the monies to the donors. The leader of the group Professor Ndidi Okereke-Onyiuke has denied any wrongdoings, and has stated that she was merely trying to raise awareness about Obama amongst Nigerians living in the United States, and to mobilize them to support Obama during the November presidential elections. "We never said we were going to donate money for the campaign," she told the BBC. The website for the Africa for Obama campaign http://www.africaforobama.com/, which had been set up to raise funds for the campaign has since been dismantled.
"There is not one Nigerian who doesn't have a relative or friend in America," she continued. "Our aim was to encourage those people to tell their family who have the right to vote in America to vote for Obama." It is illegal for Presidential candidates in the United States to accept funds from foreign entities to fund their presidential campaigns. The former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington has said that finances from foreign nationals are not only illegal but could also jeopardize the chances of the candidate in the voting process.
God bless you all.
The Obama campaign moved quickly to disassociate themselves from the group by issuing a statement in a letter, addressed to the editor of Nigeria's Punch online. Written by the Staff Counsel for the Obama for America campaign, Ms. Kendall C. Burman, the letter,states, "----Obama for America, Inc, which is the principal campaign committee for Senator Barrack Obama in his campaign for President of the United States, and the Democratic National Committee are in no way affiliated with this event or with this organization." The campaign also stated that they would not accept any contributions from the group.
Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into the activities of the group and has seized the funds with the intention of returning the monies to the donors. The leader of the group Professor Ndidi Okereke-Onyiuke has denied any wrongdoings, and has stated that she was merely trying to raise awareness about Obama amongst Nigerians living in the United States, and to mobilize them to support Obama during the November presidential elections. "We never said we were going to donate money for the campaign," she told the BBC. The website for the Africa for Obama campaign http://www.africaforobama.com/, which had been set up to raise funds for the campaign has since been dismantled.
"There is not one Nigerian who doesn't have a relative or friend in America," she continued. "Our aim was to encourage those people to tell their family who have the right to vote in America to vote for Obama." It is illegal for Presidential candidates in the United States to accept funds from foreign entities to fund their presidential campaigns. The former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Walter Carrington has said that finances from foreign nationals are not only illegal but could also jeopardize the chances of the candidate in the voting process.
God bless you all.
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