The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Presidency of allegedly bribing senators with $1 million each to impeach Senate President Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.
Addressing reporters in Abuja on Monday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan also accused the Presidency of blackmailing the National Assembly over the N242 billion budget for the 2019 election.
The party spokesperson stressed that the Presidency was merely initiating the crisis over the budget to divert attention from the series of corrupt practices the government had perpetrated.
The PDP also said that the Buhari Presidency and the APC-led Federal Government have been doing all “to divert public attention from their ocean of corruption and primitive stealing including launching a brutal attack on the opposition, hounding innocent Nigerians for no just cause and seizing the airwaves to brand everybody else as corrupt, while underneath they shamelessly pillage our nation’s resources, stealing money in trillion, under President Buhari’s official cover.
“Today, the Buhari Presidency has been busted. Today, the very leader, who hitherto paraded as pro-poor and saintly has now been exposed to be at the head of the most corrupt administration that our nation ever had since independence.
“Currently, the Buhari Presidency in its corrupt proclivity is seeking to force the reopening of the Senate contrary to Section 12 of the Senate Standing Rules for which the Presidency and the APC are offering lawmakers from both chambers an inducement of the sum of $1 million each with the aim of impeaching Senate President Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu”.
The party challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to explain why his anti-corruption fight has not been extended to investigate the corruption from the leaked memo detailing alleged underhand oil contracts to the tune of N9 trillion ($25billion dollars) at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, which are under the direct supervision President Buhari as Minister of Petroleum Resources.
“It also challenged the President to explain to Nigerians whose interest he is protecting by refusing to allow an independent inquest into the alleged corruption in the handling of the N1.4 trillion oil subsidy regime allegedly involving officials at the Presidency, particularly those benefiting from alleged N58 hidden tax per liter which Nigerians have continued to bear since the fuel price increased from PDP subsidized cost of N87 to presumably unsubsidized cost of N145”.
The opposition party equally challenged President Buhari and the APC to explain whose interests they are protecting by suppressing investigation into the alleged use of 18 unregistered companies to lift and divert N1.1 trillion worth of crude oil in 2017.
“Furthermore, the PDP asked the Buhari Presidency and the APC to explain to the world why his anti-corruption fight has not been extended to the internationally reported diversion and alleged stealing of N18 billion out of the N48 billion approved by the National Assembly for the rehabilitation of millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and rebuilding of six northeast states ravaged by insurgency in the 2017 budget.
“The PDP raised questions on whether the Buhari Presidency and APC could claim to be unaware of the damning report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), a public document which detailed how officials were using bulk of the resources meant for the IDPs on contracts that were found to have immensely benefitted officials of the APC Government including the sacked Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal
“The PDP challenged the Presidency to explain why his ‘famed’ anti-corruption dragnet has not been cast on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) despite widely reports of alleged stealing of over N25 billion meant for the health need of the people from the account of the Scheme in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by APC agents”, Ologbondiyan added.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
