The Peoples Democratic Party on Sunday said over N11trn had been stolen under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, particularly, in the petroleum sector, where he sits as minister.
It also challenged Buhari to respond to the alleged diversion of funds meant for the purchase of weapons and welfare of Nigerian soldiers to finance his re-election campaign.
The Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement, also accused Buhari of neglect and insensitivity that led to the escalation of killings and bloodletting in various parts of the country.
He said, “President Buhari should, by now, be providing answers for the over N11trn stolen under his watch, particularly in the petroleum sector where he sits as minister; the alleged diversion of funds meant for the purchase of weapons and welfare of our soldiers to finance his re-election campaign as well as the neglect and insensitivity that led to the escalation of killings and bloodletting in various parts of the country under his rule.
“Buhari should provide answers for his incompetence and harsh economic policies that plunged our economy into recession, leading to high cost of living, loss of over 30 million jobs, acute poverty, hunger, collapse of infrastructure in our country in the last three and a half years.
“On our own part, the PDP will continue to focus on issue-based campaign and run with practical answers to the myriad of challenges facing our nation in line with the manifesto of our repositioned party and the policy direction of our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.”
Ologbondiyan, who is also the PDP Publicity Secretary, berated the Buhari presidency over what he called fresh lies on Atiku.
He stated that the attention of the PDP Presidential Campaign had been drawn to perceived fresh fabrications allegedly being sponsored by the Buhari Presidency, in what he termed the presidency’s unrelenting bid to tarnish the image of Abubakar.
He said, “It is indeed despicable that Buhari will continue to endorse the spinning of lies by his handlers against another presidential candidate, including their false claims that Atiku cannot travel to the United States, which Nigerians have since found to be mere fabrications.
“Is it not ludicrous that the Buhari Presidency has abandoned its statutory duties and turned itself into a lying, “monitoring spirit” on Atiku and his movements, yet it has not been able to produce any documentary evidence to substantiate its claims?
“Buhari’s fixation on Atiku, to the extent of sponsoring fabrications in a section of the media, only goes to show that he is intimidated by our candidate’s resume, his overwhelming popularity and policy direction, which have since amplified his (President Buhari’s) incompetence and lack of direction, as a result of which he is being rejected by the majority of Nigerians.”
Ologbondiyan described Atiku as a global figure that was not inhibited, in any way whatsoever, from travelling to any part of the world.
He stated that Atiku, however, was not prepared to make the sky his office.
This, according to him, is unlike Buhari, who, Ologbondiyan alleged had unleashed a widely condemned taste for very expensive and wasteful gallivanting with the national fleet, while Nigerians wallow in abject poverty for neglect and abuse of resources.
He said in any case, the PDP refused to lose sight that its campaign was on the rescue mission and that Nigerians were looking up to the PDP candidate for direction.
He stated they would not allow the Buhari Presidency to distract them from their focus of repositioning and redirecting the nation to the path of a united, peaceful, secure and prosperous nation where all citizens are happy and free.
He said, “The PDP campaign therefore counsels President Buhari to note that Nigerians have moved ahead with Atiku as their next President.
“He should, therefore, use the remaining days of his fading administration to prepare answers for his misrule.”
Punch