Naming Buhari AU’s Anti-Graft Champion, A Joke Of The Year – PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party has described the reported naming of President Muhammed Buhari as African Union anti-corruption champion as laughable, and derisory. The PDP added that Buhari’s appointment eminently qualified as Africa’s joke of the year. The party said it was clear that the AU leaders were not well briefed on happenings in Nigeria, including the alleged heavy sleazes going on around the Presidency. It said that the AU was misled by the Federal Government, which it said planned to use the naming as a face-saving stunt for the administration.

The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said it was embarrassing that the Presidency, in its desperation to launder its image, would resort to exporting its deceptive proclivities to the international arena. He said the AU would not have honoured President Buhari if it knew that “what obtains in Nigeria is direct persecution of opposition under the guise of war against corruption, while officials of his government swim head deep in corruption under the overt protection of the Presidency.” He said, “As we speak, those receiving accolades as champions of anti-corruption have not yet cleared the air on the leaked memo detailing underhand oil contracts to the tune of N9tn ($25bn) at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources which are under President Buhari’s direct supervision as minister.

“They are yet to offer any explanation on a series of reported frauds in the oil sector including allegation of the use of 18 unregistered companies to lift and divert N1.1tn worth of crude oil in the last one year to service the APC interests. “This is a government which has provided cover for its corrupt officials including former state governors, who were indicted of looting funds belonging to their states to sponsor their presidential election in 2015 as well as cronies openly indicted for other various sharp practices, including padding of the federal budget, secret oil subsidy deals and stealing of funds meant for fight against insurgency and rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons.