The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari of “midwifing the looting of public funds” to create a war chest for the 2023 general elections.
In a statement, Debo Ologunagba, spokesman of the PDP, said the opposition party had deemed it necessary to alert Nigerians that the APC “is diverting public funds meant for development purposes and salaries of workers to its coffers by orchestrating the purchase of its Presidential nomination form by all manner of persons at excessive N100 million to “warehouse sleaze funds for the elections.”
PDP said it has information of how public funds are being withdrawn from Ministries, Agencies and Parastatals of government and diverted to people who have no verifiable means of livelihood to purchase APC’s Presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest forms for individuals without any electoral value.
Consequently, the party called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Accountant General of the Federation, the Auditor General of the Federation “to immediately commence investigation and monitor the movement of funds in Ministries, Department and Agencies of government so as to protect our national treasury from the APC as we approach the 2023 general elections.
“The National Assembly, pursuant to its constitutional duty to expose and prevent corruption should in the interest of Nigerians commence a public investigation into these happenings.”
He said: the “ruling party has resulted to this action because of its realization that its leaders cannot make huge donations to their coffers as “they will be violating the limits of contribution to political parties as stipulated by law and regulation.
“In any case, such shenanigan and criminal pillaging of our treasury cannot prevent the imminent defeat of the APC at the polls in 2023, Nigerians having realized the fraud and life discounting experiences that the APC represents,” the party said.