Stolen N15 Trn: Argue With Facts, APC Challenges PDP

The All Progressives Congress APC has challenged the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP to always argue with facts whenever it wants to accuse the ruling party of corruption.

APC in a statement on Wednesday by the National Secretary of its Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee CECPC, Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe noted that in the past weeks, “the PDP has laboured to canvass tales of a phantom stolen N15 trillion public funds in the media”.

According to the ruling party, “it is not surprising that the generality of discerning Nigerians have ignored the unfounded and baseless allegation because it is clear that only the PDP believes its deviant tales. We invite the PDP to argue with the facts”.

It said from petroleum subsidy rackets, unexecuted electricity, CCTV, roads, arms contracts to the fight against insurgency, the culture of outright theft, misappropriation and diversion of public funds became the mainstay and pastime of successive PDP administrations.

“The PDP is obviously hungover these forgotten and discarded years of the locust. Under President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria has left that era.

“The most ardent critics of the President Buhari and the APC government he leads will definitely chorus one fact: This government is unsparing and does not condone thieves within and outside government. Nigeria is definitely not where it was in terms of the pervasive corruption, the impunity that ultimately ended the PDP administrations 16 years of the locust.

“With the implementation of Treasury Single Account, Biometric Verification Number (BVN), Whistle Blowing policy among other initiatives undertaken by the President Buhari administration, the fight against corruption remains one of the strongest successes of this administration. For a rudderless party blinded by its tactless opposition politics, we don’t expect the PDP to see the impact and commendations these initiatives have received and the increased government savings it has brought to fund ongoing and critical infrastructure projects across the country”, APC stated.

The statement noted that the bribe-for-jobs and other employment rackets perpetuated under PDP’s watch remains one of the most disgraceful and lowest points in Nigeria’s history.

“Nigerians will recall how a PDP government fleeced young job seekers of application fees under the pretext of mass recruitment. Many died and were maimed in the 2014 Nigerian Immigration Service recruitment exercise for advertised vacancies that had been allegedly sold off by job racketeers. Under President Buhari, Nigeria has left that era.

“Nigeria is no island. We suffered our fair share of the economic impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic on livelihoods and jobs. Commendably, President Buhari showed leadership in cushioning the effects and guiding the country out of the economic challenges.

“No government in the country’s history has systematically put in place measures to create jobs and alleviate poverty like the President Buhari government.

“The proactive and successful implementation of the N2.3 trillion Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) has not only stimulated the economy and prevented business collapse, but it has also created jobs through support to labour-intensive sectors such as agriculture, direct labour interventions and infrastructural investments”.