By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under the leadership of Tanimu Turaki (SAN) has rejected reports suggesting it is imposing a mandatory N10,000 contribution on its members, describing a headline by The Observer Times as “false,” “misleading,” and potentially clickbait.
In a statement issued on Sunday by its National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, the opposition party clarified that no fixed levy, compulsory fee, or obligation exists for any member to fund party activities.
The PDP was responding to a publication titled “PDP Calls on Members to Contribute N10,000 Each in Bid to Fund Party Activities,” which it said misrepresented remarks made by a party official during a recent media interview.
While acknowledging that the body of the report accurately quoted the interview, the PDP criticised the headline for distorting the context and sensationalising the content. It noted that several other credible media outlets covered the same interview without resorting to such framing.
The party quoted the verbatim excerpt from the interview to provide clarity:
“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.”
Ememobong explained that the reference to N10,000 was purely illustrative, a hypothetical example to highlight the potential power of widespread, voluntary grassroots support — and not a directive, fixed amount, or compulsory requirement.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there is no fixed amount, no compulsory payment, and no obligation imposed on any member of the PDP,” the statement read.
The PDP urged its members and the general public to disregard the misleading headline and to continue supporting the party through voluntary contributions in whatever manner and amount they deem appropriate and convenient.
The clarification comes amid ongoing efforts by the PDP to rebuild its financial base and grassroots momentum following recent high-profile defections, including some governors who have left the party in recent months.
The party emphasised its long-standing belief in voluntary, people-driven funding as a legitimate and historically successful model, citing the example of small-scale contributions that helped sustain opposition movements in the late 1990s during Nigeria’s transition to democracy.
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