Ade Omole, the Director of the Directorate, announced the money's return in a statement on Friday, April 14, 2023 in Abuja.
The sum, which was left over from the initial ₦10 million campaign fund distributed to the diaspora team in the run-up to the presidential election on February 25, was designated for the directorate's members' travel.
Omole claimed that his directorate turned in a 22-page report on the campaign as well as an eight-page file containing a breakdown of the costs incurred during the campaign.
The document, which was given to Christopher Tarka, the Deputy Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council, according to the diaspora director, contains information about their activities during the campaign season, which culminated in the election.
According to Omole, "The Diaspora Directorate received only ₦10 million during the campaign phase. The sum was allocated for Diaspora Directorate members’ transportation but only ₦7.6 million was disbursed while the balance has been refunded accordingly.â€
In his response, Tarka praised Omole and his group for their direct leadership, accountability, transparency, and contribution to the former governor of Lagos State's electoral success.
In Tarka's words: “Campaign sub-committees usually do not return the money but you have, again, blazed the trail. This directorate took Tinubuism and APC’s Action Plan to the world and donated several campaign souvenirs worth millions of naira from Nigerians across the globe.â€