The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accused the APC-led Federal Government of avoiding the issue it raised on the list of alleged looters.
Spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan, in a telephone interview with The Nation said: “The APC, the federal government and Alhaji Lai Mohammed are being desperate and they are dodging issues. We have raised the issue that where did they raise funds for President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2015 presidential campaign.
“That is the question for which Nigerians are waiting for answers. All these names they are bandying about are in the public domain. Most of the cases are in court.
“They are mere allegations and according to the Nigerian Constitution, you are innocent until proven guilty. So if you are bandying allegations. It’s just a mere list. It don’t hold water.
“The question Nigerians are asking is that Buhari said he was an insolvent person, that he didn’t have money before the 2015 elections. So where did he get the money he used for his 2015 presidential election?”
On his part, former Aviation Minister Fani-Kayode said the Federal Government was resorting to cheap blackmail because it had no evidence and could not secure his conviction in court.
He said, “If they are serious about putting together the list of looters, the first name that should be there is that of President Muhammadu Buhari, Yemi Osinbajo and third, Rotimi Amaechi, Babatunde Fashola, Lai Mohammed, Babachir Lawal, Abdulrasheed Maina, Abdulrahman Dambazau and Isa Jafaru.
“All these persons either donated money or received money during the 2015 elections and these were public funds.”
Fani-Kayode said he received N800m from the then Director of Finance of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Senator Nenadi Usman, during the build-up to the last election.
He, however, argued that the money was not from the government but from private individuals.
The ex-minister added, “It is not true that I collected one penny let alone N800m from any government agency. I got N800m to run the media and publicity section of the Goodluck Jonathan campaign and the money was given to me by the Director of Finance, Nenadi Usman.
“The money was transferred to me through a private organisation. The money was given to me by her and it had nothing to do with government funds. These were monies collected from private sector people who wanted to support us in the campaign.”
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