PDP tackles Buhari over comment on glorifying thieves

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari over his charge to Nigerians not to glorify thieves, saying the president had been harbouring people that have been looting the commonwealth of the country.

The party also said the president should show his sincerity to the fight against corruption by instituting a probe into his campaign funds towards the 2015 general election.

The national publicity secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, who said this at the 2018 Ogidi Day celebration held at Ogidi, Ijumu local government area of Kogi state, added that the president had been speaking with both sides of the mouth when it comes to the issue of fighting corruption.

According to him, Buhari should show the whole world that his purported anti corruption drive was not selective by looking into how the money spent on his campaign before winning the 2015 election was sourced.

He said it is in the public knowledge that the president claimed to have obtained loan to purchase the nomination form of his party prior to the genetal election, adding that it is pertinent for him to explain how he got the billions of naira spent on his electioneering campaign.

Ologbodiyan said, “The president’s remark sounded strange to us in the Peoples Democratic Party because we believe as a party that the president has been providing cover for alleged looters around him and we believe that if the president is sincere about the fight against corruption he should make a public disclore about how his election fund in 2015 was raised.

“He should tell us who contributed what, but, if he refuses to do that, Mr President does not have any moral platform upon which he would stand and accuse any Nigerian of being a thief. The PDP is challenging Mr President that he should make a full disclosure of how his election money was raised in 2014 and he should tell us what was the contribution of the people.”

The PDP spokesperson maintained that it was wrong for Buhari to shield people that had been accused of looting the treasury without probing into their activities a d turn around to advise the people on how to threat thieves.

Speaking on the plan by some former members of the party and others to return to its fold, Ologbodiyan said the doors of the PDP were widely open for anybody that was ready to rescue the nation from the misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He however said the party was not considering a change I its name as being canvassed in some quarters, but was ready to work with like minds on the project to save the country.

Ologbodiyan said, “The Peoples Democratic Party is ready to receive the old, the new and the returning members whoever is desirous of removing the inept government of APC must be prepared to work with the PDP because that is the only party that has the necesary spread across the federation capable of removing the ruling government and as such many Nigerians who are tired of hunger and starvation, many Nigerians who are tired of insecurity in the land are ready to work with PDP.

“As regards the change of name our party is not dicussing change of name, although there are people who want to work with us and are asking us for change of name but our contact and mobilisation committee headed by the former governor of Cross River State, Lyel Imoke is talking to them”.