The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Wednesday accused the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government looting the recently repatriated $322m (about N115bn) under the disguise of distributing the money to the poor.
It also alleged that over N4bn had been looted under the Tradermoni and the Farmers Anchor Borrower schemes to fund President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election campaign.
It therefore urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to investigate the alleged lootings.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan in a statement on Wednesday also urged the EFCC to commence the prosecution of all those reportedly indicted by the House of Representatives, alongside Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, for alleged diversion of a huge part of the N33bn meant for food and other welfare items for Internally Displaced Persons in the North East.
Ologbondiyan, who is also the Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, stated that the investigation into the alleged looting, as well as the recovery of the alleged stolen funds from the coffers of the Buhari Presidential Campaign, must not be carried over into 2019.
He said, “The PDP PCO charges the EFCC to investigate the alleged looting of over N4bn under the Tradermoni and the Farmers Anchor Borrower schemes, to fund President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election campaign.
“The PDP PCO also urges the EFCC to open investigation into the alleged looting of the repatriated $322m (about N115bn), by the Buhari Presidency, under the cover of distributing the money to the poor.”
He added, “On the repatriated N115bn, we charge the EFCC to make public its findings on the allegation that 90 per cent of the estimated 300,000 households listed as beneficiaries are phony family names supplied by fraudulent government officials, as conduit to channel the repatriated money to APC leaders and the Presidency cabal.
“It is rather despicable, after looting over N14tn in unremitted oil revenue, the Presidency cabal and the All Progressives Congress leaders are also hiding under the plight of innocent Nigerians to further siphon funds for their selfish ambitions.”
According to him, Buhari was being very unfair to Nigerians in asking them to get ready for more suffering in 2019 when trillions of naira meant for their wellbeing have been allegedly siphoned and stashed away in his campaign coffers, where APC leaders also allegedly fritter funds to finance their lifestyles.
He stated that the EFCC should note that Nigerians were already aware that agents of the Presidency and the APC are allegedly involved in N1.2bn round-tripping of public funds under the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.
Ologbondiyan said, “Nigerians are also in the know that agents of the Presidency, under the watch of Vice President Osinbajo, are being used to divert huge part of the budgeted sum for the Tradermoni scheme while handing out paltry sums to unsuspecting beneficiaries, who are further fleeced through 10 per cent kickbacks by APC agents.
“Buhari has completely failed his integrity test and no longer has the moral standing to expect votes from the same persons stolen from to finance his re-election bid.”
But the Presidency has described the allegation that President Muhammadu Buhari re-looted the $322m recovered Abacha loot as “lies.”
It said the PDP hoped that by accusing Buhari of corruption, its past would be forgotten by Nigerians.
“They think by so doing, Nigerians will forgive them of their sins. This is a huge mistake.
“The PDP has become an ill-wind on the country today and the elections next year present the citizens an excellent opportunity to save the country from it.
“We can’t imagine a sane organisation shamelessly telling Nigerians that President Buhari is looting, as they themselves did of the recovered loot, the $322m lately recovered from the Abacha family. This is an irresponsible lie,” the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, reacted through a statement on Wednesday night.
Giving explanations on how the money was being used, he stated, “The $322m recovered is being used to make the Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT of a monthly amount of N5,000 to more than 300,000 poor homes across the nation under the Social Investment Programme introduced by the Buhari administration.”
