PDP claims N11tn stolen under Buhari, funds for weapons diverted for his re-election

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to explain what happened to N11 trillion allegedly stolen from the petroleum sector, which he oversees as minister.

The party which made the call on Sunday went further to ask Buhari to also provide answers to the alleged diversion of funds meant for the purchase of weapons and welfare of Nigerian soldiers to finance his re-election campaign.

The party’s national publicity secretary and the director, media and publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan, made the claims In a statement in response to the Presidency’su attack on the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

“President Buhari should, by now, be providing answers for the over N11trn stolen under his watch, particularly in the petroleum sector where he sits as minister; the alleged diversion of funds meant for the purchase of weapons and welfare of our soldiers to finance his re-election campaign as well as the neglect and insensitivity that led to the escalation of killings and bloodletting in various parts of the country under his rule.

“Buhari should provide answers for his incompetence and harsh economic policies that plunged our economy into recession, leading to high cost of living, loss of over 30 million jobs, acute poverty, hunger, collapse of infrastructure in our country in the last three and a half years.

“On our own part, the PDP will continue to focus on issue-based campaign and run with practical answers to the myriad of challenges facing our nation in line with the manifesto of our repositioned party and the policy direction of our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar,” he said.

He said the attention of the PDP Presidential Campaign had been drawn to apparent fresh fabrications supposedly being orchestrated by the Buhari Presidency in its alleged unrelenting bid to tarnish the image of Abubakar.

“It is indeed despicable that Buhari will continue to endorse the spinning of lies by his handlers against another presidential candidate, including their false claims that Atiku cannot travel to the United States, which Nigerians have since found to be mere fabrications.

“Is it not ludicrous that the Buhari Presidency has abandoned its statutory duties and turned itself into a lying, ‘monitoring spirit’ on Atiku and his movements, yet it has not been able to produce any documentary evidence to substantiate its claims?

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“Buhari’s fixation on Atiku, to the extent of sponsoring fabrications in a section of the media, only goes to show that he is intimidated by our candidate’s resume, his overwhelming popularity and policy direction, which have since amplified his (President Buhari’s) incompetence and lack of direction, as a result of which he is being rejected by the majority of Nigerians,” Ologbondiyan said.

He argued though Atiku is a global figure and not inhibited in any way whatsoever from travelling to any part of the world, that the PDP presidential candidate would not make the sky his office like Buhari is allegedly doing.

He added, “The PDP campaign therefore counsels President Buhari to note that Nigerians have moved ahead with Atiku as their next President. He should therefore use the remaining days of his fading administration to prepare answers for his misrule.”

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