Presidency Replies APC Chairman On Alleged Corruption

The Presidency has replied the National Chairman of
the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-
Oyegun, for saying President Goodluck Jonathan’s
tolerance for corruption is partially responsible for
insecurity in the country

In a statement issued on Thursday by the Special
Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr.
Reuben Abati, it described Odigie-Oyegun statement as
‘unsubstantiated and frivolous.’

Punch reports that Abati, during an interview said
APC’s national chairman remark only confirmed the
Presidency’s position that the opposition party always
plays politics with everything.
The presidential spokesman questioned if corruption was
also responsible for terrorism in other countries where
insurgents were operating.
“We have always made a point that the APC is and
has been playing politics with everything. He is talking
about corruption being responsible for terrorism and
insurgency that does not sound like an educated
position. Is it corruption that is also responsible for
terrorism in Syria, Afghanistan and Columbia? He is
using a serious national challenge of terrorism to play
politics, it is very cheap. The security forces are doing
their best to put an end to terrorism and insurgency
and nobody can doubt the fact that President
Jonathan has shown great determination in combating
the terrorists and ensuring the protection of lives and
property. The APC chairman sounded in his statement
as if he does not live in Nigeria, so he found it difficult
to appreciate the efforts that are being put into the
terrorism war,” Abati said.
He further argued that those who were swift to indict
Jonathan-led administration of condoning corruption
were really the most corrupt Nigerians, and pointed out
that when the government wanted to deregulate the
downstream sector of the petroleum industry in order to
halt corruption, it was the APC chiefs who opposed
the decision.

“Most of those who comment about corruption are
probably the most corrupt in this country. Should we
ask him to do an assessment of the states that are run
by the APC because it is not enough to just talk about
body language and make some kind of spurious
allegations. He wants to turn the issue of corruption
into a campaign issue. He wants to use it to malign
the integrity of the Presidency and the government. He
does not sound convincing at all because if anything,
this administration has combated corruption. I always
give an example that the whole idea of the deregulation
of the downstream sector was to check corruption in
the downstream sector. Was it not Odigie-Oyegun and
his bedfellows who opposed that effort by this
government to deal with that issue? He has no moral
basis to talk about corruption. In fact, they were the
ones championing corruption in the downstream
sector by insisting that government should not clean
up the downstream sector,” Abati said.

Speaking also on the Transparency International index,
Abati asserted that the recent report shows an
improvement in the corruption fight.
“The last Transparency International index showed an
improvement in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
You may say that the quantum of the improvement is
small but it has been noticed even by TI that
something is being done to deal with the issue,” he
said.
Abati, however, advised Odigie-Oyegun that if really
his party is seeking power, they should tell Nigerians
what APC can do.
Meanwhile, it was reported on Thursday that for the
umpteenth time, the opposition All Progressive
Congress, APC, has blamed the President Goodluck
Jonathan led administration for the massive corruption
in Nigeria.
Also, the All Progressives Congress (APC) recently
took a swipe at the Inspector-General of Police,
Suleiman Abba over the recent crisis at the National
Assembly.