Banks Freeze CPC Account!

Prince Tony Momoh, CPC National Chairman

The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) may be faced with severe financial crisis if the decision of banks not to honour its cheques is upheld in the days and weeks ahead.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, who confirmed there was a move by a group to stop the operation of CPC's accounts with banks, however said it had no effect on its transactions with the banks.

Coming at a time the CPC is considering suing the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Communication, Dr. Rueben Abati, over an article he wrote last April purportedly accusing the CPC presidential candidate at the April poll, Major-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), of inciting the post-election violence that rocked parts of the North.

THISDAY gathered that the new twist in the CPC's affairs was sequel to a petition brought to the banks by the aggrieved former protem National Executive Committee (NEC) members of the party led by Senator Rufai Hanga, which advised the banks that further transactions be stopped forthwith in any of the party's accounts.

A reliable source in CPC told THISDAY at the weekend that the party leadership was currently having difficulties in accessing funds from the party's accounts due to the petition by the group.

The source, which quoted a top aide to the National Chairman of CPC, said the party's cheques were last week turned down by banks which apparently were responding to the brewing crisis of confidence among the stakeholders in the party.

"Banks are turning down our cheques," the source said.

However, the CPC leadership has dismissed the matter as false and malicious, saying no bank can order such a freezing of the party's accounts based on the petition by a group.

While speaking to THISDAY yesterday, Fashakin said he was not aware of any such action by the banks and that the party had been operating its accounts without any hitch.

"No bank can grant such order. It has not affected our transactions in anyway.  We have been issuing cheques and making withdrawals with no qualms," he said. .

Fashakin said instead of the group utilising avenues of ventilating their grievances, "they have chosen to become a tool in the hands of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in trying to weaken CPC's resolve to seek redress over the outcome of the presidential polls".

The Hanga-led protem NEC of the CPC had written to all the banks operating the party's accounts, urging them to desist from further transactions with the current leadership of the party.

The same group had filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the legitimacy of the Tony Momoh-led NEC of the party and hearing on the matter is slated for July 22.

The group said the party's accounts at Oceanic Bank, No.1291301006398, Afribank, No. 6500293802 and First Bank, No. 5062030009416 were opened by the Hanga-led protem NEC with the designated principal officers as signatories.

According to a notice of intent written by Buhari's lawyers, Tope Adebayo Chambers, to Abati, the CPC leader said the article published on the April 22, 2011 edition of The Guardian alleged that he (Buhari) had advised his supporters to lynch anybody who tried to rig the April polls.

Abati, until he was recently appointed as the presidential spokesman, was the Chairman, Editorial Board of The Guardian, and maintained a weekly column in the paper.

Buhari however denied ever making any inciting statements that might have led to the post-election violence that erupted after the last general election.

Lawyers to the former head of state said the article credited to Abati insinuated that he (Buhari) was responsible for creating the atmosphere that precipitated the riots that engulfed some Northern parts of the country as an aftermath of the April elections.

According to the lawyers, "In the said article, you insinuated that our client incited the post-election violence that erupted in the North as to the tenor of your publication, the angry youths that championed the violence are acting on behalf of our client.

"You further stated through subtle innuendo that unless our client deprecated the violence through the radio and television in Hausa and Fulfude languages, he should not be taken serious when he denies fanning embers of the imbroglio

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