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If PDP is corrupt, APC is beneficiary, says Ochekpe

By Isa Abdulsalami Ahovi, Jos
02 March 2015   |   9:04 pm
IRKED at the accusations of corruption often levelled against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government by the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, says the allegation is like giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.    Speaking yesterday at a meeting with…

pdp-apc- 1.01.10 PM

IRKED at the accusations of corruption often levelled against the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government by the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), the Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, says the allegation is like giving a dog a bad name in order to hang it.

   Speaking yesterday at a meeting with heads of federal agencies in Plateau State over the forthcoming elections, Ochekpe declared that “if the opposition party holds onto the erroneous belief, it means that APC is the beneficiary of the corruption” being claimed. 

   She noted that the high-level corrupt practices as alleged by the opposition were a deliberate ploy to discredit President Goodluck Jonathan and the entire administration of the ruling party.

   According to her, the APC lacks moral right to accuse the ruling party of corruption considering the calibre of people in the party, especially those who defected from the PDP, and if some of them are not corrupt, they are eating the proceeds of corruption.

   “The allegation of corrupt practices coming from the APC is just to discredit my President and it is coming from the main opposition. If PDP is corrupt, APC is the beneficiary,” she stated.

   “Most of the APC members were once members of the Peoples Democratic Party, so if they claim that PDP is corrupt, it means they are using the money they stole to finance APC.

   “The agencies saddled with addressing corruption are doing their best. Mr. President is a man of due process, who strongly believes in the tenets of democracy and the constitution. 

   “Anyone caught involving in corrupt practices in his government cannot go scot free, but he is approaching the issue of corruption from constitutional point of view while some people expected him to adopt draconian approach.”

   On insecurity in the north-eastern part of the country, she expressed disappointment that those who are supposed to give helping hands in fighting the menace are part of those sabotaging the effort of the Federal Government in tackling it.

   “He (President) was accused of not fighting insecurity, but attempts to purchase military equipment were frustrated by the United States of America, which said the government was being accused of human rights violation,” she added. “But if the government is accused of this, how would one describe the U.S. operations in places like Syria and others experiencing similar scenario?”

   Ochekpe, however, commended the efforts of the military over the successes recorded in recent time, adding that Mr. President was not relenting in his efforts to tame Boko Haram in the country.

   Against this background, she dismissed the insinuation among federal civil servants that the Federal Government was contemplating downsizing the workforce as a result of the economic meltdown, stating that there is no such plan. 

   “There is nothing like that, to the best of my knowledge,” she said. “If there is anything like that, it may be for political appointees.”

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