Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sunday said revelation of fraud in the N500 billion Social Investment Programme, SIP, by wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari and the N16 billion Mosquito Net Project of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, has further vindicated its stance that the administration is deceitful and only pretending to be fighting corruption.
This is even as the party noted that Aisha’s revelation has further shown that it (PDP) has not been crying wolf by insisting that President Muhammadu Buhari must account for the trillions of naira allegedly stolen under his watch in the last four years.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan and made available to journalists on Sunday, the party expressed dismay at the development saying “more disheartening is the fact that the said funds were meant for the welfare of the poor, whom Mr. President had always claimed to represent in government.
“Unfortunately, these poor Nigerians have been waiting endlessly for the failed social investments promised by Mr Buhari only to have their hopes dashed as revelations by Mrs. Buhari had shown that the money provided for the programme had been stolen.
“PDP holds that now that the truth has been revealed by no lesser Nigerian than Mr. President’s wife, the National Assembly and all anti corruption agencies should immediately commence forensic investigation on how these funds were dispensed and utilized.” It continued: “Nigerians can now see how the same administration presided over by ‘Mr. Integrity’ has been using the names of innocent poor Nigerians to loot our national treasury and fritter away billions of naira to finance their wasteful lifestyle while Nigerians wallow in abject poverty.
“It is indeed appalling that the Buhari administration would be sitting on such colossal corruption and continues to thrive in evil concealment while diverting public attention from their rot by hounding innocent opposition figures on trump-up corruption charges.
“PDP had always maintained that no matter how much deceit and falsehood appear to thrive, the truth must prevail at the end of the day.
“Our party therefore charges Buhari to speak out on the matter and immediately commence the process of recovering the money and channeling it for the benefit of the poor Nigerians.”
Mrs. Buhari at the weekend labelled the implementation of the SIP a failure in the northern part of the country.
Vanguard