Supporters of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo Wednesday launched a crowd-funding portal for his presidential bid.
The supporters, under the aegis of PYO Global Partners, said this was because of their belief that the government belongs to the people and not to the individuals who have found their ways to elective or appointive positions.
A statement by one of the trustees of the group, Mrs Chinwe Azuka Onwudiegwu, described this as an unprecedented move in campaign financing in the country.
The statement read, “Over the years, Nigerians have come to perceive elected and appointed officials in high positions and offices as lords and rulers.
“We are committed to changing the paradigm and the presidential aspiration of a genuine servant-leader like Prof. Osinbajo, SAN creates the opportunity.
“Sharing the PYO Global Partners mission, to that end, the group is organizing a mass fund-raising exercise for the PYO campaign – one in which every Nigerian will be presented with an opportunity to play a substantive role in determining who becomes the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not simply by voting on election day by which time voters are restricted to limited choices, but by being involved from the very beginning of the process. It’s about an opportunity to realise a true leadership transformation.”
Onwudiegwu said the group would also identify other public-spirited aspirants and candidates in the future.
She said: “The declaration of the vice president has captured the popular imagination of the Nigerian people across ethnic, regional and religious lines, offering the best opportunity since the Second Republic if not in the entire post-independent history of Nigeria for ordinary people to own a significant portion of the political and election process.
Some of the other trustees behind the initiative include Mrs Temi Okesanjo, Mrs Martha Osayabamwen Omoigui and Mrs Maryam Hassan.
