The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the revelation of another $2.5bn arms purchase scandal in which officials of the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration were named is another ugly testament of the stench of corruption oozing out from the Buhari Presidency and the APC.
This was contained in a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan on Thursday.
The party said with the fresh revelation, a whopping $3.5bn or in other words, 1.3 trillion of Nigerian Naira meant for arms purchase has been stolen.
“The party alerts that with this fresh $2.5 billion arms scandal, reportedly involving the National Security Adviser (NSA) Gen. Babagana Monguno, who had earlier revealed that $1 billion also for arms cannot be traced, an alarming $3.5 billion (N1.3 trillion) meant for purchase of weapons to secure our country under the Buhari administration has been looted.
The PDP stressed that the exposed barefaced contract scam in the $2.5 billion scandal as well as the outright disappearance of the $1billion as earlier revealed by the NSA, show the level of corruption and unscrupulousness among APC leaders and their agents, who are stealing funds meant for arms while our citizens are daily marauded, pillaged and murdered by terrorists, bandits and kidnappers.
“In fact, the unending exposure of sleaze in the security architecture of the Buhari-led administration has further heightened apprehensions in the public space that the security situation has been turned into a huge racket for corrupt enrichment of sneaky APC leaders and the cabal in the Buhari Presidency.
“It is more distressing that instead of standing on the side of the people to demand for a clean-up of the system and recovery of the stolen funds, the APC, as a party, is rather desperate to justify acts of corruption, because its leaders and officials of its government are involved.
“Our party demands that the Buhari Presidency should come clean and offer explanations on both the $2.5 billion and $1 billion.
The Party also restated its call to the National Assembly to conduct a joint open inquest into the funds and other monies drawn purportedly for the security of our nation under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch.
It is important to recall that about a week ago, the National Security Adviser, Gen Babagana Monguno, had informed an alarmed nation that the new service chiefs complained that they could not find or trace weapons for which 1 bn was made available in the former dispensation. Interestingly, the NSA is said to be involved in the new scandal.