APC condemns attempt to cover up the $9.3 million scandal
(Nigeria )
The All Progressives Congress, APC, has condemned the obvious attempt by the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP-led Federal Government, allegedly working with some
members of the National Assembly, to cover up the smuggling of $9.3 million to South Africa
on a private plane, saying that the cover-up plans will fail because the issues
involve transcend Nigeria .
APC in a statement in Lagos
on Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that
the cover-up attempt manifested clearly at the House of Representatives on
Tuesday, when Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha curiously refused to entertain a
debate on a motion seeking a probe of the issue that has further ridiculed Nigeria
in the global community.
It said the refusal of the Deputy Speaker becomes even more
suspicious amid allegations that some members of the House has each received $50,000
bribe to quash the motion.
APC however hailed its members in the House of
Representatives for staging a walk-out to protest against the inexplicable
decision not to allow the issue to be debated on the floor of the House, saying
by their actions, they have aligned with the majority of Nigerians who are
eager to get to the bottom of how such a huge amount of money could be smuggled into another country by the Nigerian
authorities, despite being fully aware of the limitation on the amount of money
that can be taken into any country.
The party said while the Senate has already launched a probe
into the issue, Nigerians would have preferred that the probe is done openly, instead
of behind closed doors, so there won't be any shade of doubt about the
transparency of the investigation. It however expressed the hope that the
Senate will do a thorough job to unravel the circumstances surrounding the cash
smuggling gate.
''It is shocking that those who were elected by the people
will fail to act in the interest of the people. But then we in the APC are not really
surprised at this development, going by the antecedents of the Jonathan
Administration and his party, the PDP. Thank goodness, everyday the PDP and the government it has sired at the
centre are showing why they should not be voted back into office,'' it
said.
The party insisted that the Jonathan Administration and all
concerned must come clean on the circumstances surrounding the ferrying of the huge
funds to South Africa ,
including why a government that has spent millions of naira to promote a
cashless policy decided to transport 90 blocks of $100,000 each to another
country in violation of that country's laws.
''The resort to 'procedural error' is not enough to explain
this irresponsible and illegal action, neither is it enough to explain why a
duly-constituted government will behave like a rogue government or even like
insurgents who will be shopping for arms in the open market.
''Fortunately for Nigerians, South Africa's National
Prosecuting Authority, NPA, has said the issue is still under criminal investigation,
meaning all attempts to sweep the scandal under the carpet, as the Jonathan
Administration is used to doing, will fail,'' it said.
APC called on all well-meaning Nigerians as well as Civil
Society Organisations to ensure that the circumstances surrounding this scandal
are unraveled in the interest of
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