The Buhari Media Organisation has raised the alarm over alleged plot by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to bring illicit funds into the country ahead of the 2019 election
It consequently urged the Central Bank of Nigeria and relevant security agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to be on the lookout for cross border movement of large sums of dollars into the country.
BMO made the position known in a statement signed by its Chairman, Mr. Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Mr. Cassidy Madueke, in Abuja yesterday.
It claimed the aim was to outspend the ruling All Progressives Congress.
“We have it on good authority that the PDP and its presidential candidate are making strenuous efforts to bring in public funds stashed abroad, including those from recent sales of assets in Angola, which were acquired with illicit funds.
“We also know that the former vice president has made promissory transaction commitments on a number of strategic national assets, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and a percentage holding in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) to a foreign syndicate.
“All these are out of desperation, and as a result of his inability to raise funds from governors elected on PDP platform, many of whom are themselves locked in stiff battles for their seats,” it said.
The group explained that the move by the PDP presidential candidate was occasioned by stringent measures put in place by the CBN and EFCC to ensure sanity in the banking sector.
This, BMO said, is against the backdrop of how top officials of the last PDP government used some banks to move public funds to party officials in all states of the federation before the last election, it added: “It is clear to Atiku Abubakar and PDP elements that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has put in place a system that has made it difficult for the type of situation in 2015 where former Petroleum Resources Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke could warehouse $115,000,000 (One hundred and fifteen million dollars) which was then shared among party officials to influence electoral officials.
“They also know that even the EFCC is very much on the alert at local airports, as seen in the manner its operatives have twice in recent times, intercepted undeclared sums of money running into millions of dollars.
“So, these opposition elements are now working out a more crooked way of bringing in money through the borders in order to circumvent the system before and during the February 2019 elections.”
The pro-Buhari group therefore urged all relevant agencies to double their efforts and enforce provisions of the of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, (2011 as amended).
PDP faults claims
But in a reaction, the PDP presidential candidate described the BMO’s claim as false, baseless and mere fabrication.
Abubakar spoke through the party’s Presidential Campaign Organisation, yesterday in Abuja.
In separate telephone interviews with Blueprint, PPCO Director, Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, and one of the campaign spokespersons, Kassim Afegbua, said their principal has no plan whatsoever to bring any illicit funds into the country.
Refuting the allegation, Afegbua said “Outrightly false. We are familiar with the schizophrenia of the APC leadership and the petulant ostentation of its handlers, who are known to be picking the specks in other people’s eyes while leaving their own untouched.
“If there is any aspirant who has shown a dubious application of funds in both taxpayers’ money and other illicit funds, President Buhari it is. Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has been a successful businessman for over three decades and has not been found wanting, let alone accuse of illicit funds.”
“President Buhari on the other hand, has been feeding parasitically on the Nigerian nation, from being a usurper to being chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund which is being variously described as Petroleum Trust Fraud, going by his abysmal handling of the finances of the Trust Fund.
“He has been described as a poor man who spent billions for his election. Can you see the contradiction? He hasn’t been able to successfully manage his flock of cows to be productive because the figures hover around 150 all year round without reproduction.
“Now ask yourself; how can a poor man who can only boast of 150 cows be running such an expensive campaign both in 2015 and now, and be talking about someone using illicit funds? Does that not appear laughable,” he added.
Afegbua also challenged the president and his handlers “to be man enough to disclose the source of their campaign funds. They hired 21 jets, including government fleet, for the Uyo campaign. Can they tell Nigerians where those funds are coming from?”
On his part, Ologbondiyan said: “The BMO is not correct. Our presidential candidate has no such plan and nobody has such plan in the PDP. We are not like them in the APC that have been stealing from public fund to finance its campaign.
“When they say we are moving illicit funds, from where, from which state, and from which country? These are all fabrications.
“APC needs to know now and to learn that the lies and deceptions of 2015 have failed woefully. Go to anywhere in Nigeria and ask them, they will tell you that the four years of APC is of poverty, hunger and starvation,” he further said.
The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has raised an alarm over an alleged grand plot by the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar to bring illicit funds into the country ahead of the 2019 elections.
It consequently wants the Central Bank of Nigeria and relevant security agencies including the Customs and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to be on the lookout for cross border movement of large sums of dollars into the country.
BMO said in a statement on Sunday signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that it is as a result of the desperation to bring money stashed abroad into the country with a view to outspending the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“We have it on good authority that the PDP and its Presidential candidate are making strenuous efforts to bring in public funds stashed abroad including those from recent sales of assets in Angola which were acquired with illicit funds.
“We also know that the former Vice President has made promissory transaction commitments on a number of strategic national assets including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and a percentage holding in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) to a foreign syndicate.
“All these are out of desperation and as a result of his inability to raise funds from governors elected on PDP platform, many of whom are themselves locked in stiff battles for their seats”, it said.
The group explained that the move by the PDP Presidential candidate follows stringent measures put in place by the CBN and EFCC to ensure sanity in the banking sector.
This BMO said is against the backdrop of how top officials of the last PDP government used some banks especially Fidelity Bank to move public funds to party officials in all states of the federation before the last election.
It added “It is clear to Atiku Abubakar and PDP elements that the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration has put in place a system that has made it difficult for the type of situation in 2015 where former Petroleum Resources Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke could warehouse $115,000,000 (One hundred and fifteen million dollars) which was then shared among party officials to influence electoral officials.
“They also know that even the EFCC is very much on the alert at local airports as seen in the manner its operatives have twice in recent times intercepted undeclared sums of money running into millions of dollars.
“So these opposition elements are now working out a more crooked way of bringing in money through the borders in order to circumvent the system before and during the February 2019 elections”.
BMO consequently wants all relevant agencies to double their efforts to enforce provisions of the of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 (as amended).
