How PDP Politicians Raided NNPC, Carted Away $20 Billion - Garba Shehu

 

The Presidency has claimed that the Peoples Democratic Party stole $20 billion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation when it was in power.

 

Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu made the claim on Sunday in Abuja.

 

He was reacting after Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum declared the All Progressives Congress unfit to participate in the 2023 general election.

 

The Presidency reacting, accused the governors of playing politics of division and hate.

 

“These people, who play politics of division and hate, create communal disturbances, need to change…check the facts and leave the politics: What does the country get with this kind of gimmick?” a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said.

 

On Wednesday, March 23, 2023, The PUNCH had reported that the opposition governors, after its regular meeting at the Umuobiakwa country home of its Vice-chairman and Abia State Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, passed the pejorative verdict on the APC-led regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), saying that the governing party has become “uncaring and a menace to Nigerians”.

 

The Forum also expressed shock that “in the face of these statistics of complete failure in all ramifications and areas, the APC still wants to be on the ballot in 2023”.

 

It, therefore, advised Nigerians to reject the APC if it dares to appear in the 2023 polls saying “It is impossible for a party so disorganised to offer good governance to the people of Nigeria”.

 

But the Presidency, in a statement titled ‘Issues from the PDP fantasy communique from Umuahia,’ accused the main opposition of trying to “cover up the serial and criminal failures of its long and damaging period in office, which the Muhammadu Buhari regime and All Progressives Congress have strived these past seven years to repair.”

 

Reminiscing the PDP years, it said “We cannot forget under PDP, the nation had an army full of phantom soldiers whose pay went to PDP politicians’ pockets while our under-resourced real soldiers died in the fight against terrorist insurgents and our international allies refused to supply Nigeria kit and military aid.

 

Contrastingly, the Presidency argued that the Army, under the APC is well resourced with fighter jets and other armaments; Boko Haram is being driven from every inch of Nigerian territory, and ISWAP’s leader was eliminated in a Nigerian airstrike.

 

 

It further accused the main opposition of “raiding the NNPC,” consistently failing to pay into the Federation Account and, “in the last year of PDP misrule, $20bn was simply found ‘missing.’”

 

The Presidency noted that with APC, funds from NNPC are directly and transparently used to fund social and health programmes—such as COVID-19 response, the construction of roads, bridges and rail, and equipping of hospitals to cope with new and existing challenges.

 

Shehu’s statement also knocked the Governors who signed the Communique saying “Who would trust such people with the running of our country? Who can believe a word these people say, as they looked outwardly stylish but harrowed by power-sharing and other troubles inwardly?