The leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday said that the revelation of another $2.5 billion arms purchase scandal “in which officials of the (President Muhammadu) 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, as a party.
The PDP, in a statement by its Spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that the “party alerts that with this fresh $2.5 billion arms scandal, reportedly involving the National Security Adviser (NSA) Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), 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.
“Out party demands that the Buhari Presidency should come clean and offer explanations on both the $2.5 billion and $1 billion. Furthermore, the PDP restates 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.”