$1bn excess crude withdrawal not spent on Buhari’s re-election -Presidency

By Lawrence Olaoye

The Presidency has denied allegations that the $1 billion withdrawn from excess accounts for procurement of military equipments was used by President Muhammadu Buhari to fund his 2019 Presidential election.
Reacting to the allegation made by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Sunday, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the government actually used part of the money to pay for the Tucano fighter jets from the government of the United States of America.
In his reaction sent to newsmen yesterday, Shehu said “We are reacting to PDP that the USD drawn from the excess crude oil account was spent by Buhari on 2019 elections.
The PDP is under a socio-emotional distress.
They think that all governs in the world run on the basis of freewheeling looting as they did their own.
Here is what happened to that USD 1,000 million.
It’s on record that the Buhari administration paid about USD 490 million for a dozen Super Tucano fighter aircraft in a direct, government-to-government (no Contractors or Commission Agents) transaction with government of the United State.
Various other military procurements have been made. Balance of expenditure stands at about USD 880 million or so.
Barring considerations of national security, the details of the stage of implementation, the procurements made and the suppliers will be obtained and if your story can wait until tomorrow Monday, a work day, we can give you more or all of the details.
The PDP spent Defence procurement funds on their failed 2015 political campaigns as proven in court. That is not to say every succeeding government, more so one led by a Buhari will do the same.”