The Peoples Democratic Party has again accused the All Progressives Congress of resorting to deceit, propaganda and concealment of fraud, to divert attention from its complicity in an attempt to re-loot the repatriated $311m Abacha loot.
It said the APC became uncomfortable as soon as the plot by its leaders and a cabal in the Presidency to plunder the recently repatriated Abacha loot was uncovered.
This was contained in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbodiyan, in Abuja, on Thursday.
The party also challenged the APC to respond to the alarm raised by the First Lady Aisha Buhari that the N500bn Social Investment Programme was a scam, noting that the bulk of the money never got to the poor.
Ologbondiyan said, “The PDP, however, noted that it is not surprising that the APC is again serving as the mouthpiece of corruption and sleaze, given that it holds the medal in deceit, propaganda, concealment of fraud and as a sanctuary of corrupt individuals, international scammers, certificate forgers and looters of repatriated funds.
“Instead of seeking to divert attention, the APC should face the issue and respond to the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, who alerted the nation that the APC administration’s N500bn Social Investment Programme is a huge scam and that bulk of the money did not get to the designated poor; a fraud for which the APC remains indicted.
“Our party further challenges the APC to respond to the report of the US Department of State, which exposed the plot by the APC administration to divert $100m of the repatriated fund to the chairman of APC Governors’ Forum, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State.
“Moreover, it is on record that the APC has not been able to point to any project executed by its administration despite the stream of repatriated money channelled to it.”
It urged the National Assembly to rise to the occasion by ensuring that the repatriated $311m is appropriated and its use was properly monitored.
The PDP also said it would not be deterred by plans by the APC to engage hack writers to denigrate it for exposing the plot to re-loot the Abacha loot.
“It is even more distressing that officials of the APC administration are already compromising the sovereignty of our nation by attempting to transfer the powers of appropriation of our national resources from our National Assembly to foreign powers, just to conceal the plot to siphon the money,” he added.
In response, the Buhari Media Organisation dismissed PDP’s claims. Chairman of the BMO, Niyi Akinsiju said, “Governance is serious business but the PDP is trying to make it look like a joke. This administration has administered recovered loot with utmost responsibility and it has not wavered.
“On the comments made by the First Lady, Mrs Maryam Uwais, who was in charge of the SIP gave a robust response and she was commended. The model used to reach the poorest of the poor has since been incorporated into the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs.
“Nigerians are still demanding that the PDP give account of the N5bn recovered from the Abacha loot when it was in power for 16 year.”
