PDP Refutes Claims of Mandating Members to Pay ₦10000 for Party Activities

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has dismissed reports alleging that it instructed its members to contribute ₦10,000 each to finance electoral operations and other internal activities.

In a statement issued on Sunday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, criticized the media platform responsible for the report, accusing it of sensationalizing the information and misrepresenting the party’s position.

According to Ememobong, the party’s earlier comments—made in response to a question on how it plans to fund its operations amid recent defections by some governors—were centered on voluntary financial support. He stressed that the PDP did not impose, announce, or suggest any mandatory levy on its members.

He further accused the platform that reported the story of deliberately framing its headline to imply that a compulsory ₦10,000 fee had been enforced, despite the full interview making no such claim.

Ememobong emphasized that the PDP strongly supports voluntary contributions as a transparent and proven model for grassroots political financing. He explained that the referenced ₦10,000 figure was used purely as an example to illustrate how collective voluntary support can yield significant resources, not as an instruction or fixed fee for members.

The statement explained:
“The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has noted with concern a report published by The Observer Times under the misleading headline: ‘PDP Calls on Members to Contribute N10,000 Each in Bid to Fund Party Activities.’ The headline is both inaccurate and misleading, failing to reflect the true context of the comments made.”

The spokesperson added that although the interview itself was quoted correctly within the article, the headline was crafted to generate clicks and distort the narrative, unlike other reputable news outlets that reported the same interview accurately.

To clarify further, the PDP provided the exact excerpt from the interview addressing how the party intends to finance its activities given recent political shifts:

“The strategy is simple: go back to the people. When the people are with you voluntarily, they fund the cause. In 1998, people made small contributions to fund the party, and that gave them a voice.

“We are returning to that voluntary model. For example, if 60 million Nigerians give N10,000 each, that’s a huge sum. We are already seeing this kind of mass support in states like Plateau and Akwa Ibom.”

The party stressed that this statement confirms its commitment to voluntary contributions—regardless of the amount—as an established grassroots funding approach. The mention of ₦10,000 was used only to demonstrate the potential impact of unified support rather than to prescribe a requirement.

The statement continued:
“Let it be stated unequivocally: there is no fixed amount, no compulsory payment, and no obligation imposed on any member of the PDP.

“We therefore urge our members and the general public to disregard the misleading headline and continue to support the party in any manner they find suitable and convenient.”