Ruling All Progressives Congress says main opposition Peoples Democratic Party is scared of the ongoing forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission, hence its attack on President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption war.
APC stated this in a statement titled, “PDP Dead-Scared of NDDC 19-Year Forensic Audit, Legislative Inquest – APC …No Sacred Cows in Corruption Fight,” and signed by the ruling party’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, in Abuja, on Tuesday.
The APC spokesman was reacting to PDP’s statement on Monday’s events during the sitting of the House of Representatives’ probe panel on the Niger Delta Development Commission.
PDP had in the statement accused the APC government of silence in the face of ongoing corruption in several government agencies.
But the APC said, “Nigerians can now understand that the PDP is not interested in the current moves by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to reposition the NDDC but the PDP is dead-scared of the outcome of the 2001 to 2019 forensic audit and legislative inquests of the NDDC operations. The PDP is doing everything to sabotage and frustrate the audits.”
The APC said it refused to trade words on how successive PDP administrations and their cronies “institutionalised a culture of contract fraud and other corrupt practices” which has robbed the Niger Delta region of badly-needed development.
“We will rather monitor and await the findings of the ongoing audits,” the party said.
The PDP statement added, “We must support the forensic audit of the 19 years of the NDDC, which includes the first 4 years of the President Buhari administration as well as well-meaning legislative inquests for the benefit of the Niger Delta region.
“As a party, we totally align and support the resolve of President Muhammadu Buhari to audit and reposition the NDDC. As with all institutions of government, we must continue to entrench transparency and accountability.
“The commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration remains the rapid and sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.
“Hence, the audit must be seen as a decisive move to clear any stumbling block undermining the development of the Niger Delta region.
“Has the President Buhari administration demonstrated its zero-tolerance for corruption? An emphatic yes.”
The APC said Buhari’s fight against corruption is total, unsparing and there are no sacred cows.