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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today , Monday, November 26, 2018, accused the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency, and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of turning the Ministry of Defence into their Automatic Teller Machine (ATM), and indicted the Defence Minister, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali, for diverting funds meant for the military equipment and welfare of the soldiers fighting the insurgency war in the North East to produce partisan materials for the APC re-election campaign.
The PDP called the attention of Nigerians to this in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, describing the callous development as insensitive and a gross impunity on the part of the Defence Minister.
The full text of the PDP statement reads:
PDP Accuses Defence Minister of Diverting Military Funds For APC Campaign
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Minister of Defence, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali, of diverting funds meant for the military equipment and welfare of our soldiers fighting the insurgency in the northeast, to produce partisan materials for All Progressives Congress (APC) re-election campaign.
The PDP accused the Defence Minister of diverting part of the military funds to produce APC’s campaign materials including an electronic memento book, on which he ascribed credit to himself and the APC, while our soldiers suffer neglect in the war front.
The party says that the placing of APC logo alongside that of the Ministry of Defence on the memento confirms our position that the Buhari Presidency has compromised our defence architecture for Mr. President’s re-election project.
Our party considers it insensitive and a gross impunity for the Minister of Defence to be engaging in patronising souvenirs for President Buhari at a time when our soldiers are being killed in their numbers.
It is also instructive to note that President Muhammadu Buhari, as Mr. Integrity, has not reprimanded the minister, ostensibly, given that the diversion of public funds for his re-election campaign is now a policy of the APC and the Buhari Presidency.
Nigerians can now see how the Buhari Presidency and the APC have turned the Ministry of Defence into their Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) to fund their re-election, at the detriment of our citizens who are being daily attacked by insurgents and marauders in various parts of our country.
There is a fixation in the Buhari Presidency on winning the 2019 elections at all cost even at the expense of the lives of Nigeria, therefore,P notes that with these revelations, the APC has proven to be a soulless mob, which has no interest in the good of our nation, but desperate to hang onto power by all means.
The party therefore calls for an open investigation into the handling of military funds to unravel those benefitting from the racket especially given allegation that some persons close to the President are being used as conduits to fritter public funds for President Buhari’s re-election and their wasteful lifestyles.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary