Says presidency diverting funds to Buhari campaign organisation
Admin l Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari to speak up on alleged looting of N20 trillion from public coffers under his watch. At a press conference addressed by the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO), the party said the N20 trillion is made up of looting of over N11 trillion from the public coffers, including the diverted N9 trillion, as detailed in the leaked NNPC memo,to finance his campaign.
The PDP further challenged Mr. President to speak out on the alleged fleecing of Nigerians to the tune of N2.6 trillion through hidden illegal N48 tax per liter of petrol which Nigerians have continued to bear since the fuel price increased from PDP subsidized cost of N87 to presumably unsubsidized cost of N145.
“The PDP completely rejects this act of corruption and intimidation of our citizens and attempt by President Buhari to receive financial kickback from beneficiaries of government intervention in violation of our financial regulations”, the party alleged, adding that intelligence at “our disposal also reveals that this is yet another scheme by the Buhari Presidency siphon public funds and surreptitiously route same to Mr. President’s campaign.
“To achieve this ignoble scheme, the Buhari Presidency and the APC in their desperation went ahead to shamefully constitute a phony Anchor Borrowers Farmers’ Association, which they claimed has 12 million members, and through which they plan to siphon and launder money from public coffers to fund President Buhari’s campaign”, the party added.
Check by PDP reveals that “no such association exists and that the membership figure is just a ruse, another fabrication and attempt at procurement of fake endorsement by the Buhari Presidency, to create an impression of that Nigerians are supporting President Buhari and the APC.
“Further investigation reveals how the Buhari Presidency has been secretly diverting huge part of various social intervention funds to the Buhari campaign and handing paltry sums to Nigerians, as well as how agents of the Presidency carrying out their vote buying project, particularly the Trader-moni scheme, have been illegally collecting 10 percent kickback from beneficiaries”, PDP said.
According to the party, now that “Nigerians have refused to contribute to Mr. President’s doomed re-election bid, due to his failure in office, the Buhari Presidency and the APC are seeking ways to legitimize their stealing of public funds to finance their campaign and service the wasteful lifestyles of their leaders”, adding that the booeing, jeering of the President during the budget presentation is evident of his rejection by the Nigerian people.
