Corruption Growing Under APC Government—PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has charged “President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration to show integrity and commitment in the fight against corruption.” The party alleged that there are “numerous sleazes” going on presently under his watch.

PDP, in a statement issued on Thursday by its spokesman, Olisah Metuh, further charged the President to first cleanse his house of corruption. The party said “there is incontrovertible evidence that grave corrupt practices are ongoing and allowed to fester by associates and cronies of government, including former and present APC governors and others who played major roles in financing his campaigns with stolen state funds.

PDP said “the onus lies on the APC-led Federal Government to wage a credible holistic anti-corruption war by first purging itself of unclean association and coming out clear on sleazes already going on in government quarters since it took office in May.”

“Charity, they say begins at home. For the APC-led Government, it has now become a question of ‘physician, heal thyself’.

“Every discerning mind knows that this administration is not executing a credible holistic war against corruption because it is a product of corruption, surrounded by corrupt persons; a factor apparently responsible for its obvious blind eyes to huge sleazes now being perpetrated in government agencies by persons claiming closeness to the President.”

The opposition party claimed that, “It is indeed alarming that in so short a time, an administration that rode to power on claims of anti-corruption credentials, has broken the records in constitutional violations and abuse of regulations, especially in its adamant stance to run a government without the statutory components of a full cabinet, thereby creating loopholes for APC interests to invade key government agencies for inflated concessions, allocations, jobs and other financial sleazes.”

“Furthermore, we wish to draw the attention of all Nigerians to the fact that this administration, for obvious reasons, has deliberately turned a blind eye to the corrupt acts of most APC leaders, who as governors, ministers and labour leaders have been the worst corrupt set of people ever to bestride the political landscape of the country,” it said.

PDP asked, “How can the Federal Government explain its continued silence to the current indignation in one of the prominent south west APC state over corruption issues, including but not limited to alleged mismanagement of N32 billion SURE-P fund; N78 million state money allegedly spent on the personal website of a former APC governor, who is also accused of inflating a N2.1 billion contract for the construction of pedestrian bridges, N25 billion for 1.36 kilometre link bridge, US$200 million World Bank education fund while leaving behind N500 billion debt arising from alleged reckless spending?

“Why has the Federal Government maintained a sealed lips on charges of looting, diversion of state funds as well as the embarrassing accusations of stashing away of billion of naira state funds in foreign banks by a former APC governor of a South South state?

“What about the reprehensible pillaging of state treasury by the last APC administration in a prominent North West state, including the alleged mismanagement of N10 billion belonging to pensioners, which that government has failed to account for?

“What is the Federal Government’s stance on yet another prominent APC governor in the Northwest who, as a former minister, was indicted by the Senate for corrupt practices and embezzlement of over N32 billion proceed from the sale of government property, for which he was disgracefully declared unfit to hold public office by the highest law making body in the land?”