The main opposition party in Nigeria has lambasted the ruling party over the flag-off of the presidential campaign for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Reacting to the APC rally, the Peoples Democratic Party on Friday accused the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress of secretly drawing over N478m from the coffers of the Niger Delta Development Commission to rent a crowd and offset bills for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election campaign rally in Uyo.
In putting this allegation forward, the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement also accused Buhari of directly appointing serving ministers and heads of government agencies as members of his campaign council in order to use them for the diversion of public funds to finance his 2019 campaign.
Ologbondiyan, who is also the Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, said the party was also aware of protests by some eminent Nigerians, including foremost businessmen, who were named as members of the APC Campaign Council without their consent.
He said, “The N478m NDDC fund which was originally budgeted for development projects in the Niger Delta was diverted to renting and transportation of crowd from other parts of the country to the rally to create an impression of popularity for President Buhari in the region.
“Further information at our party’s disposal, shows that the said N478m is part of the wholesome N1.2bn allegedly siphoned in tranches from the NDDC treasury by the cabal at the Buhari Presidency and the APC leaders, who have been stealing money from various government agencies to finance President Buhari’s campaign.
“Our party also has it on good authority that this ignoble scheme of siphoning the NDDC development fund to finance his campaign was the main reason President Buhari foisted an unpopular leadership on the management of the NDDC despite the protests by critical stakeholders in all the states of the Niger Delta.
Ologbondiyan added, “Moreover, the PPCO invites Nigerians to note that unlike the PDP Presidential campaign council, which has credible Nigerians as members, most of Buhari’s zonal coordinators are persons facing corruption cases.
“This casts a very long shadow on President Buhari’s integrity and further confirms that his fight against corruption is a sham.
“The PPCO reminds President Buhari that Nigerians are still awaiting his explanation on the seething revelation of corrupt acquisition of Etisalat Nigeria and Keystone Bank PLC by his family members under the cover of his presidency; an issue that Nigerians are not willing to let go until he clears his name.”
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