Why Buhari Must Probe Obasanjo – Adams Oshiomhole

The newly elected National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has highlighted why President Muhammadu Buhari must probe former president Olusegun Obasanjo for allegedly mismanaging $16 billion electricity fund.

Recall that President Buhari had recently asked “where was the power after a former president claimed to have spent $16 billion on the project?” suggesting that the administration of Obasanjo may have squandered the said sum in its quest to give the country stable electricity.

But Oshiomhole, who just assumed office as APC’s National Chairman on Sunday, said Buhari shouldn’t just stop at asking Obasanjo about the power but to proceed to ask the former president to refund the $16 billion electricity fund he allegedly squandered.

The new APC Chairman and former Edo State Governor said unless President Buhari probes the former president’s spending of the funds, he may be giving credence to the allegations that his anti-corruption fight is lopsided.

The APC Chairman said this on Tuesday during the handing over of office to him by his predecessor, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

Oshiomhole said, “Opposition could not say he is not fighting corruption, they say it is selective and I have been reflecting on that. How can it be that what the whole world can see, the local people cannot see it and as I was reflecting.

“I watched our president recently asking questions – you have spent $16 billion – PDP under the former president – on power, our president said ‘where is power?’ For emphasis, he repeated ‘where is the power?’

“Nigerians in their various homes that day with generator said ‘Mr President, we don’t have’. $16 billion spent on power? The more dollars spent, the more darkness. Maybe because the president has not yet proceeded to now ask the follow-up question, since we can’t find the power, you must produce the $16 billion spent.

“If he doesn’t do that, then the accusation of limited anti-corruption [fight] will begin to have some relevance. Our president needs to do the needful. He can proceed to recover the $16 billion back into the treasury from the man who superintended over the spending of that money.

“All we have to do as a party is to provide the support that Mr President needs. They want to distract attention when they are in trouble and say ‘oh they want to kill me’.

“Since President Buhari assumed office, no politician of note has been assassinated for political reasons but a president whose watch a minister of justice was murdered in cold blood. A minister murdered in cold blood. That minister could not get justice,” said the APC Chairman.