16/12/2019
The Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, on Monday called on the All
Progressives Congress, APC, to
come clean on revelations that the
N40 billion taxpayers’ money
allegedly siphoned from the
Federal Inland Revenue Service,
FIRS, was used to finance the
party’s 2019 campaigns.
PDP said the revelation, which has
reportedly unsettled certain
persons in the Presidency, has
further exposed the “APC as a
decadent lot; a gathering of
treasury looters” who thrive in
cheating, deceit and pretences at
very high levels.
Recall that FIRS had earlier
dismissed allegations by former
APC Deputy spokesperson, Timi
Frank that it supported the ruling
party’s campaign through the Vice
President, Yemi Osinbajo with the
sum of N90bn and N40bn.
However, a statement by PDP’s
spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan
said the development has further
vindicated its stand that the “APC
is an extremely callous and
hypocritical party, which has no
iota of conscience” but takes
delight in depriving Nigerians and
“pillaging resources meant for the
wellbeing of our people.”
The statement reads: “It is
shameful that instead of being
remorseful, agents of the APC are
reportedly engaging in dirty
infighting over how the money
was “shared”, with certain top
leaders of the APC allegedly
getting up to N3 billion
each.”
PDP cautioned the APC not to take
Nigerians for a ride with its usual
diversionary empty denials,
finger-pointing, hauling of insults
and spurious accusations against
it.
The opposition party stated that
the public already has reports of
how very “top leaders of the APC,
including those operating at the
Presidency, were used to conduit
the money from the FIRS.”
“In a nation battling the scourge
of corruption, misrule, huge
unemployment, unprecedented
infrastructural decay, insecurity,
hunger and untold hardship, such
a humongous allegation must not
be allowed to go under the usual
APC carpet
“Our party submits that since the
APC has been overtly indicted, it
should come clean by refunding
the N40 billion to the public
coffers from where it should be
channeled to job creation projects
without further delay.
“We invite Nigerians to note how
the APC and its Federal
Government have failed to
account for various pillaging of
public funds under the Buhari
administration, including the N14
trillion stolen through various
phony contracts in the NNPC as
well as direct drawings from other
government agencies such as the
National Health Insurance Scheme
(NHIS) and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (NEMA),” the
party said.
PDP noted that if the trillions of
naira stolen and stashed away in
private purses of APC leaders are
recovered and directed to
development projects, our nation
will not be in its present sorry
state under the Buhari
administration.