The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to recall Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Benin Republic, a former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), to face corruption investigations. Buratai was linked to the N1.8billion recovered by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in a property in Abuja.
In a statement on Sunday signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the PDP described the ruling All Progressives Congress as “a haven for treasury looters”.
In the statement titled, ‘N1.8bn: Recall Buratai for investigation, PDP tasks Buhari…insists APC is haven for treasury looters’, the party said looting of funds meant for the fight against terrorists has led to the upsurge in unhindered terrorism attacks, mass killing of citizens and loss of many gallant fighters.
The statement partly read, “The Peoples Democratic Party calls on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately recall the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Ambassador to the Benin Republic, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), to face investigations and clear his name over an alleged connection with the N1.8bn recovered in a property in Abuja by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC).
“The PDP’s demand for the recall and investigation of Gen. Buratai is predicated on the earlier assertion by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Gen. Babagana Monguno, after the exit of Gen. Buratai as COAS that the $1bn drawn from the national coffers under the All Progressives Congress administration for the purchase of arms to fight terrorism in our country could not be traced.
“That assertion by the NSA heightened suspicion on allegations of barefaced looting of money meant to equip our security forces. Such corruption under the APC administration has led to the upsurge in unhindered terrorism attacks, mass killing of citizens, and loss of many of our gallant fighters in the front in the last seven years.
“It is therefore of serious interest to Nigerians when reports that the ICPC discovered the sum of N1.8 billion in various currencies, expensive cars, and jewelries secreted in a property in Abuja allegedly linked to the former COAS broke out.
“There are already apprehensions that the discovered money is part of the security fund that was criminally diverted. This is especially against the backdrop of the frenzy and spirited efforts by certain quarters linked to the APC to suppress investigation and free flow of information, politicise the matter and sweep it under the carpet.”
The PDP also stated that the APC allegedly plans to draw monies from the national treasury to fund the 2023 general election.
“Nigerians will recall that our Party has on several occasions alerted that the looting of our treasury is officially sanctioned & enabled by the APC administration with its refusal to prosecute those who were alleged & found to have been involved in massive corruption.
“It would also be recalled that the PDP drew attention to plans of the APC to create a slush fund account from monies fraudulently drawn from the national treasury to finance their plot to rig the 2023 general election.
“This is evidenced by the massive use of money by the APC to prosecute a vote-buying scheme in the recent Ekiti State Governorship election. The prevalence of vote-buying in that election by the APC was even acknowledged by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, which prompted the INEC Chairman to demand for speedy trial of those arrested for vote-buying in the Ekiti State election,” the party said.
