By Aiyeku Timothy
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the “abysmal” 2020 corruption index report on Nigeria by Transparency International (TI), has vindicated its stand that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government “is a citadel of corruption and the most corrupt administration in the history of our nation.”
The latest Transparent International report showed that Nigeria is now 149th on the corruption perception index in 2020 – dropping 13 places since 2015.
In their reaction, the PDP through their National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, said the TI report showed the country plunging to a putrid under the watch the president.
It “is an incontrovertible confirmation that our nation is more corrupt under President Buhari and the APC, than it was in 2015 when they took office.”
Part of the statement read: “This descent into the abyss of corruption only goes to show that President Buhari’s anti-corruption stance is a mere swindle used to delude Nigerians while the vaults were laid open for APC leaders and officials of the Buhari administration to plunder.
“Indeed, the record of unbroken decline from 136th in 2016 to 144th in 2018, 146th in 2019 and now 149th in 2020, under President Buhari, the African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Champion’, settles the now notorious fact that the Buhari administration and the APC are titleholders in corruption.
“Nigerians can now see that what the APC and the Buhari Presidency did, upon assumption of office, was to simulate a holier than thou attitude, deploy the instrument of propaganda to deliberately castigate the PDP with false corruption allegations just to divert public attention and create a safe atmosphere for APC leaders to loot our nation to her knees.
“The fact remains that no matter how lies and falsehood try to prevail, the truth will always come to light at the end of the day.
“From the oil and inland revenue sectors to security, health, agriculture, food security, healthcare, transportation, road infrastructure, power, education, environment, among other critical sectors, none was spared from the kleptomaniac fingers of corrupt APC leaders and the cabal in the presidency.
“Nigerians can now see that our alert on the allegation of the stealing of over N15 trillion by APC leaders and political cronies in the presidency, was not just an opposition propaganda but a patriotic stance which the APC and its administration has not been able to counter.
“The Buhari administration has failed to go after APC leaders and cronies allegedly involved in the stealing of over N9.6 trillion as detailed in the leaked NNPC memo, the over N3trillion in fraudulent oil subsidy regime as well as trillions stolen from agencies including, the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Social Investment Programme as revealed by First Lady, Aisha Buhari, the COVID-19 funds among a litany of frauds.
“The financial rot in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under the Buhari administration, including stealing of recovered funds, underscores the level of corruption under the APC.
“It is equally appalling that the decay has reached a frightening situation where, under Mr. President’s watch, employment opportunities are sold to young boys and girls at alarming costs ranging between N1.5m and N5m.
“Moreover the Buhari Presidency has failed to open up on its yearly budget for Nigerians.”
The PDP therefore, affirmed that the APC administration has been further “exposed,” and urged Nigerians to join in the demand for the ruling party to commence the processes of refunding the N15 trillion allegedly stolen by its leaders before exiting the political firmament in 2023.
