Buhari Administration’s Inconsistencies On TSA, Meeting With INEC, Police, Evidence Of Corruption – PDP

Following the inconsistencies that have trailed the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari since it assumed leadership of the country six months ago, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has called on the administration of the day to be focused.

The opposition party reminded Mr. Buhari that in handling the affairs of governance, he should make honesty, sincerity and openness with Nigerians his watchword.

The National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, who gave the advice in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, was reacting to the controversy surrounding the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy of the Buhari administration, which has been dogged by allegations of fraud.

In the statement, Metuh said the reminder became imperative, having “watched with keen interest some disturbing recent development, particularly, the exchange of words between the National Assembly and the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Executive over the controversies surrounding the handling of the remittances in the Treasury Single Account (TSA), as well as the conflicting statements between the Presidency and INEC on the revelation of secret meetings between the two bodies on Kogi governorship election.

“On the controversies trailing the operations of the TSA, the conflicting statements emanating from the federal executive, via the minister of information and the CBN underscore the fear being raised by the Senate that there may have been underhand deals in the process.

“Whereas the Senate has ordered its committee on finance and public accounts to investigate the remitting and handling of N2.5 trillion into the TSA, the federal executive, through the minister of information, had earlier informed the nation that the sum of N1.4 trillion has been remitted, while the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) put its figure at below a trillion and announced an estimated collectable amount of N1.2 trillion.

“The PDP finds this discordant tune and Monday’s brazen attack by the minister of information on whistle blowers as completely unacceptable and contradictory of a government that rode to power on the garb of ‘Mr. Clean’.

“This is addition to the fact that the firm handling the TSA remittances has been given the leeway to rake millions of naira into unknown purses from fees charged MDAs for training of their personnel involved in the TSA.

“The PDP challenges the present administration to show transparency and be bold and honest enough to come out clear on the remittances and operation of the TSA instead of trying to use the veneer of politics to hide the rot already simmering under the APC administration”.

Metuh further called the attention of Nigerians and the international community to the inconsistency in the denials by the Presidency and INEC regarding the revelation of their secret meetings to allegedly plot the manipulation of Saturday’s governorship election in Kogi State to ensure victory for the All Progressives Congress.

According to the PDP spokesperson, while INEC emphatically denied that such meeting ever took place, President Buhari, through his Senior Special Adviser (Media), Garba Shehu, affirmed that indeed, such a meeting held, albeit for only five minutes.

“We ask, who do Nigerians believe; the Presidency or INEC? The fact remains that the contradictions betray the element of conspiracy by this APC administration to rig the Kogi governorship election”, he maintained.

The opposition party further claimed to expose the insincerity of the Buhari administration, which it alleged was plotting to forcefully take over Kogi State by flooding the state with what it termed “corrupt money”, with a view to swaying the people and buy their mandate.

“This primitive attempt at vote-buying is not only an insult on the people of Kogi state but also setback to efforts towards credible elections in Nigeria”, the PDP said.

“This same government that prides itself of being incorruptible had in addition to fielding persons facing corruption charges in Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections had earlier in Kebbi, fielded Governor Atiku Bagudu, who falsely declared to INEC that he has never been convicted, imprisoned or fined for any wrong doing, when in actual sense there are records that he was indicted and is being wanted by the US Justice Department, for which he is now facing pre-election charges at the Federal High Court, Abuja.

“The PDP invites Nigerians to note all these inconsistencies, double-speaks and flip-flops as clear evidence of a government with a dubious intention; even as it continues in the attempts to make Nigerians believe that it is transparent in its dealings.

“We wish to state categorically that the PDP has never made any claim or any statement that has been contradicted by either the government or the ruling party (beginning with our revelation that the Director General of the DSS is a member of the APC, to the latest revelation of the secret meeting between the Presidency and INEC on plots to rig the Kogi governorship election).

“The PDP will continue to show responsibility and caution in ensuring that only facts that have been verified by the party are put out to the public at all times. We will not indulge in falsehood as we continue in our opposition role of putting this administration on check in the general interest of the nation”, the party concluded.