The PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus has revealed that paucity of funds was responsible for the incomplete 12 storey new national secretariat project of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
Speaking through his media aide, Ike Abonyi, the PDP chairman debunk the claims that project has been abandoned.
He said, “The secretariat is not abandoned. It is not an abandoned project. Funding challenge stalled the work. The project is in the heart of the party, the National Working Committee, and the National Executive Committee. Work will go on there very soon subject to the availability of fund.”
The massive edifice is located in the Central Business District in Abuja. It has been remained uncompleted 11 years after the conception of the project by the leaders of the party.
It was learnt that the project, which was expected to have been completed in 126 weeks, at an initial cost of N11.5bn, was conceived in 2008 to give a befitting secretariat to the then ruling party by the fourth national chairman of the PDP, Ahmadu Ali.
It was learnt that as a result of construction variations over the years, the cost of the project, which was awarded to BNL Limited, rose from N11.5bn to N16bn.
It was further learnt that shortly after the conception of the project, about N6bn was realised during a fund-raiser for the project.
Recall that the PDP had in December 2014, realised N21bn at its fundraising dinner. Dignitaries that attended the event included the then President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, his deputy, Namadi Sambo, the then PDP Board of Trustees’ Chairman, the late Chief Tony Anenih, and the then PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu.
Sources informed our correspondent that the Chairman of the 2014 fundraising committee, Prof. Jerry Gana, had on January 5, 2015, said the funds raised were not only for the 2015 presidential campaign, but that part of it would be used to complete the project.
