PDP challenges Buhari, APC to speak out on alleged N378bn NLNG scandal

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday challenged President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to speak out on revelations of how N378 billion proceed from the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas dividends was allegedly syphoned by the Presidency, under sleazy oil subsidy deals.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan.

It declared that Nigerians were startled by revelations of how the funds from the NLNG, an agency under President Buhari’s direct supervision as Minister of petroleum, was secretly lifted and spent without the appropriation of the National Assembly as required by law.

This came as the Party urged the National Assembly to immediately open an inquest into the N378 billion NLNG scandal and unravel who actually authorized the withdrawal, the beneficiaries, as well as what each APC leader got from the huge scam, with a view to exposing them and recovering the fund in the national interest.

According to the Party, “Available intelligence shows that the Presidency cabal cornered the money under the guise of subsidy payments but allegedly diverted a huge part of it to members of the cabal and some key APC leaders, which they used to finance their wasteful lifestyle, including acquiring posh property within and outside the country.

“If there was no ulterior agenda; if the money was actually meant for payment of subsidy, why was it drawn and purportedly spent without recourse to the constitutionally required approval of the National Assembly and other due process procedures under our laws.

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“The PDP notes that such humongous corruption and stealing of trillions of naira in the oil and gas sector, which is under President Buhari’s purview, as Minister of Petroleum, is directly responsible for the biting economic recession and its attendant high cost of living, acute hunger and starvation, poor living standard, dilapidated infrastructure, escalated violence and high mortality rate in the country in the last three and half years.

“If the Buhari-led APC administration had curtailed its greed and allowed for a little transparency in governance, our nation would not be in the dire strait in which we have found ourselves today. In any case, what else does one expect from a government replete with avaricious individuals, certificate forgers and liars?

“The PDP challenges President Buhari, as Mr Integrity, to speak out on the monstrous corruption in his Presidency, which has also failed to offer explanations for the alleged syphoning of over N10 trillion from various sleazes, particularly in the oil and gas sector.”