The African Democratic Congress (ADC) wednesday urged President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration to disclose the percentage of the recovered N800 billion loot that had been re-looted under the current administration.
The party said this on the heels of media reports credited to the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, where the minister tried to paint what it described as a scandalous raiding of collective wealth, as an achievement for the APC administration.
A statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of ADC, Yemi Kolapo, warned the minister and other key officials of the administration to refrain from making a mockery of the nation all in the name of settling intra-party political scores.
It said the APC must stop trivialising salient issues capable of further denting an ready battered image of the country.
The party said, “The ruling party cannot continue to trivialise the issue of corruption or politicise genuine criticisms, especially when over 80 per cent of events, in the last few weeks, had centred around revelations of multi-billion naira fraud in critical
agencies.
“What kind of country are we running where the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is accusing the main driver of the administration’s anti-corruption crusade of gross ethical misconduct and re-looting of looted funds and the mouthpiece of the same administration wants Nigerians to give them a pat on the back?
“The other corruption scandal in the Niger Delta Development Commission, which has led to unprecedented drama in the National Assembly, with allegations and counter-allegations flying around Acting Managing Director, former Managing Director, Executive Director, Minister overseeing agency, as well as principal officers of the National Assembly, is a shame that must be tactically addressed.
“These and other sour revelations in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including the Nigeria Army, call for sober reflection during this period. Any serious government must appreciate the implications of the chaotic situation on its rating and urgently embark on a tenable face saving mission instead of making things worse with unguarded statements.”
The ADC dismissed the information minister’s claim that the Buhari government had recovered N800billion loot, saying Nigerians were more interested in how much of this had been re-looted.
It said, “While we are not in a position to judge any of the parties in the ongoing national corruption drama, we owe Nigerians the duty to stop the ruling party from further justifying this show of shame at the expense of Nigeria’s image. Nigerians must also demand a logical closure to the various allegations in the interest of the Nigerian economy.
“The parties that have served Nigeria have failed woefully. There is no gainsayng that we must embrace a credible alternative, which the ADC offers. With commitment to the ADC DNA, where integrity, transparency and commitment to the Project Nigeria are the watch words, a super power Nigeria is possible in 20 years.”
