$1bn ECA: APC Lectures PDP On Role Of Opposition Party
The All Progressives Congress has told the opposition Peoples Democratic Party that it’s role of an opposition party was not the same as opposing everything especially things critical to national interest.
The ruling party was reacting to a statement by the PDP in which the party alleged that the APC-led administration approved the withdrawal of $1bn from the Excess Crude Account to fund President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election in 2019.
The PDP had in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbodiyan, wondered why the APC administration would approve such an amount of money to fight Boko Haram it claimed to have “technically” defeated.
In reaction, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement in Abuja, on Monday, described the PDP’s claims as baseless and ridiculous.
Abdullahi explained that the Nigerian Governors’ Forum which approved the withdrawal had 11 PDP governors present.
The APC spokesman said going by the allegations, the PDP is by its own admission accusing its governors of disloyalty in supporting the decision.
He said it is no surprising that the PDP is losing sleep over the decision by the governors, as the opposition party had approved a sum of $2.1bn to fight insurgency when they were in power but ended up sharing the money among themselves, hence putting the lives of innocent Nigerians at risk.
He advised the PDP to ensure that its governors demand accountability on the money they joined their counterparts in the APC to approve.
“We can understand why it is easy for the PDP to arrive at its ludicrous allegation. A similar approval in excess of $2bn was granted to the PDP government when they were in power,” the statement reads.
“They knew what they did with the money. It is a classic case of a serial killer who sees even a table knife as a murder weapon.
“The PDP presided over a government that made it possible for money meant for weapons to be diverted into paying marabouts and all manner of political jobbers ahead of the 2015 elections.
“Therefore, the PDP thinks the same thing is about to happen. They have not realised that it is a new day and President Muhammadu Buhari will not play politics with money meant to protect the lives of innocent Nigerians or allow anyone to engage in such brigandage that Nigerians suffered under the PDP.
“The PDP does not understand that winning the peace is as important as winning the war.
“There is therefore no contradiction in saying that Boko Haram is technically defeated and saying that more weapons and training are needed for our military and the military of neighbouring countries whose cooperation is necessary to finally rid our countries of the menace of Boko Haram.
“The APC as a party understands the pressure that the PDP is facing in its attempt to justify its role as an opposition party.”