The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the revelation of another $2.5bn arms purchase scandal in which officials of the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration were named is another ugly testament of the stench of corruption oozing out from the Buhari Presidency and the APC, as a party.
The party alerts that with this fresh $2.5 billion arms scandal, reportedly involving the National Security Adviser (NSA) Gen. Babagana Monguno, who had earlier revealed that $1 billion also for arms cannot be traced, an alarming $3.5 billion (N1.3 trillion) meant for the purchase of weapons to secure our country under the Buhari led administration has been looted.
The PDP stressed that the exposed barefaced contract scam in the $2.5 billion scandals as well as the outright disappearance of the $1billion as earlier revealed by the NSA, show the level of corruption and unscrupulousness among APC leaders and their agents, who are stealing funds meant for arms while our citizens are daily marauded, pillaged and murdered by terrorists, bandits and kidnappers.
In fact, the unending exposure of sleaze in the security architecture of the Buhari-led administration has further heightened apprehensions in the public space that the security situation has been turned into a huge racket for corrupt enrichment of sneaky APC leaders and the cabal in the Buhari Presidency.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP said It is more distressing that instead of standing on the side of the people to demand a clean-up of the system and recovery of the stolen funds, the APC, as a party, is rather desperate to justify acts of corruption, because its leaders and officials of its government are involved.
“Our party demands that the Buhari Presidency should come clean and offer explanations on both the $2.5 billion and $1 billion.
“We restated our call to the National Assembly to conduct a joint open inquest into the funds and other monies are drawn purportedly for the security of our nation under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the All Progressive Congress (APC) has again denied any corruption allegation against President Buhari led federal government, stating that it is only the PDP that believes its deviant tales.
In a statement by the National Secretary Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), APC, Sen. John Akpanudoedehe, APC insisted that under President Buhari, Nigeria has left the disgraceful PDP era where corruption was an established and institutionalised statecraft.
The statement reads, “Our earlier statement on the unfounded and baseless corruption allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stands. It is increasingly clear that only the PDP believes its deviant tales. Under President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria has left the disgraceful PDP era where corruption was an established and institutionalised statecraft.
“We truly hope the PDP can wake up to its responsibility of providing a viable opposition which our democracy needs, instead of engaging Nigerians with roadside fictional tales,” the statement said.
