Fresh $2.5bn Arms Scandal: Presidency, APC stink, says PDP

…..Urges NASS to probe security funds

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the revelation of another $2.5bn arms purchase scandal in which officials of the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration were named is another ugly testament of the stench of corruption oozing out from the presidency and the APC, as a party.
The party has thus restated 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.
The PDP said these in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan in Abuja.
The party alerted that with this fresh $2.5 billion arms scandal, reportedly involving a top government official 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 main opposition party 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 said top government official, 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”.
The PDP, in the statement said, “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”, it said.