The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organisation on Saturday, January 17, 2015 debunked claims by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari did not commit any corrupt act as Executive Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF), claiming that a N25 billion-fraud cannot be swept under the carpet.
Speaking via a statement signed by the Director of Media and Publicity for President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election campaign organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, the PDP said Obasanjo was only trying to cover up the acts of corruption perpetrated by Buhari.
The statement, which also threw up the issue of Buhari’s health read: “We believe that one of the cardinal principles of democracy, good governance and decency is to always set the record straight and let the Nigerian people know the truth. This has been the hallmark of President Goodluck Jonathan and his government for the last four years and we intend to ensure that this continues. We do not believe that anything ought to be hidden and we believe that in the contest for the Presidency the record of public office of each and every one of the presidential candidates is relevant and must be subjected to scrutiny and public debate.
“It is to this end that we make reference to the findings of the Dr Haroun Adamu-led Interim Management Committee probe of Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) where General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the APC, presided as Executive Chairman for a number of years while General Sani Abacha was in power. The final report of that probe exposed nothing but monumental sleaze and the most pervasive and insidious type of corruption in PTF while General Buhari held sway there. The report concluded its findings by recommending that the PTF under General Buhari and his entire team be asked to explain the circumstances in which N25, 758,532,448:00 disappeared and could not be accounted for. As the chief executive officer of PTF at the time Buhari, and no one else, must be held responsible for this.
“The fact that the recommendation of the Dr Haroun Adamu-led Interim Management Committee was never acted upon by the Olusegun Obasanjo government is rather curious and gives us some cause for concern. This is especially so given the fact that the same General Buhari that was so badly indicted by the report is now vying for the exalted office of President of Nigeria. This is made all the more worrisome given the fact that the army general has consistently held himself out as Mr. Integrity while he consistently accuses President Goodluck Jonathan of monumental corruption. The truth is that not only has the PTF report put a lie to the suggestion that General Buhari is ‘’Mr. Clean’’ but it has also indicated that he has a case to answer.”
