PDP Tackles Buhari Over Claim It Mismanaged $592bn From 1999-2014

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has responded to President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim that the opposition party owes Nigerians explanation on how it allegedly squandered $592 billion oil revenue during its control of the country’s economy from 1999 to 2014.

Buhari had during his meeting with the leadership of organised labour in Abuja on Thursday blamed the PDP for where the country is today despite humongous resources generated during the sixteen years the party held sway over the country’s economy.

“PDP has not successfully explained to the country what they did with the money,” President Buhari had said.

“There were no roads, no rail, and no power. They said they spent $16 billion on power, but where is the power? The irresponsible expenditure of that period has not been explained, and Nigerians deserve an answer on that terrible mismanagement of the country,” said the President.

But responding in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, on Friday, the PDP accused the President of gloating its party over its loss at the recently held presidential election.

The party charged Buhari to “stop gloating and showboating on Nigerians with the stolen 2019 Presidential mandate, as the people’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar would soon retrieve it from him at the tribunal.”

The PDP described the president’s remark as a “renewed attack and blame game on PDP administrations” adding that it is “a lame attempt to divert public attention from the overwhelming evidence that he rigged the elections, as well as from the plots by his Presidency to obstruct the clear winner, Atiku Abubakar, from going to the tribunal to reclaim the mandate freely given to him by Nigerians.”

The statement further reads: “It indeed speaks volumes that President Buhari, in his claimed integrity and anti-corruption stance, is grandstanding over the violent rigging of the elections and his attempt to foist himself into a second term in office on the pedestal of stolen votes.

“President Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) should know that the PDP and Nigerians are focused and will not be distracted by any sort of blackmail in the pursuit of the mandate and we are confident that our justices will never allow an illegitimate government to sit over the affairs of our dear nation.

“Moreover, if anybody has a question to answer on the administration of the nation’s resources, it is President Buhari, who has not been able to offer any explanation on the looting of over N14 trillion from revenue generating agencies in a space of three years under his direct supervision.

“We ask; was it the PDP that siphoned over N9 trillion, through underhand contracts, as detailed in the leaked NNPC memo, in the same sector President Buhari directly supervises as Minister of Petroleum Resources?

“Was it the PDP that stole the over N1.1 trillion worth of crude illegally lifted and diverted with 18 unregistered companies in 2017; the over N1.4 trillion in fraudulent oil subsidy regime and many more scams, including funds meant for the welfare of victims of insurgency in the North East under the Buhari administration?

“Whereas the PDP administrations created wealth and applied our national resources on massive infrastructural development in all critical sectors; paid off our huge foreign and domestic debts and grew our economy to be one of fastest growing in the world, President Buhari, within a space of three years ran our economy into recession and cannot point to any development project his administration initiated and completed despite the huge opportunities at his disposal.

“President Buhari must note that Nigerians are no longer interested in his incompetence and blame game and this is the very reason they voted massively against him on February 23. He should therefore end his diversionary tactics and get ready to meet the people’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in court.”