The Peoples Democratic Party has blamed poverty and growing insecurity in Nigeria on the alleged unbridled looting and extortion by a cabal around the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and the ruling All Progressives Congress.

This party’s position is contained in a statement titled, ‘Corruption in Buhari Presidency, APC responsible for poverty in Nigeria – PDP…Says Treasury Looting is APC’s Manifesto’, signed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, on Sunday.

According to the statement, the PDP declared that the alleged “unbridled treasury looting and extortion by the cabal in the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress are directly responsible for the excruciating poverty and escalated insecurity being suffered by Nigerians in the last five years.”

The party noted that the “grandstanding by the Buhari regime” in response to revelations of abuses and sleaze emanating from the investigation of the suspended acting Chairman of the APC-controlled Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, exposed a desperate attempt by a cabal to delink certain of its officials from indictment in the saga.

Ologbondiyan said, “The recent revelations of widespread treasury looting, including the alleged allocation of billions of stolen money to certain top government officials, have also exposed the hypocrisy of the APC and how its leaders are mercilessly plundering our economy while abandoning our citizens to a life of squalour.

“The picture is becoming clearer on how the APC leaders, in the last five years, siphoned and pocketed over N14tn, from various government agencies, meant for the development of the nation and the welfare of Nigerians.

“From unfolding events, Nigerians are no longer in doubt that treasury looting is the official manifesto of the APC, which has now been exposed as a deceitful party that came to power by pretence and pointing of accusing fingers at others while its real intention had always been to sweep the treasuries for their selfish gains.”

The statement further read, “This explains why the APC administration has failed to expose those involved in the wholesale stealing of N9.6tn ($25bn) oil money as detailed in the leaked NNPC memo just as no steps have been taken by the APC government to investigate and recover the money.

“It equally explains why the APC administration had also failed to expose those behind the reported stealing of N1.1tn worth of crude oil, using 18 unregistered vessels linked to some of its leaders and why the money was never recovered.”

Attempts to get a response from the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena, were futile, as calls to his mobile phone were neither picked nor returned.

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Corruption under Buhari responsible for Nigeria’s poverty – PDP