PDP charges Osinbajo to explain alleged N33bn intervention fund

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to provide answers to the N33bn corruption allegation made by the House of Representatives in its recent investigation.

The party, in a statement released by its national publicity secretary, yesterday, said it is a personal moral burden on Osinbajo, as a preacher and Professor of law, to explain how the fund, meant for the wellbeing of Nigerians suffering in the Northeast, was allegedly mismanaged under his supervision, instead of attempting to dismiss it.

The statement read: “Nigerians were appalled to learn from the House of Representatives, how Prof. Osinbajo, as Acting President in June 2017, unilaterally pulled N5.8bn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, purportedly for emergency intervention on food in the Northeast, which has now turned scandalous.”

The party asked Osinbajo to clarify how, according to findings, all the six Northern states failed to receive the emergency intervention, on which a lion share of the money was claimed to have been expended, under his direct supervision as Chairman, Board of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

“What has Prof. Osinbajo to say on revelation at the public hearing conducted by the House that there was no evidence the World Food Programme (WFP) received the 5000 metric tons of rice, which NEMA claimed to have bought and donated to WFP for distribution to victims of insurgency in the region?

“What has our Vice President to say to report indicating that four of the companies that supplied food items to the region financed their projects through N2bn each received as loan from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)?

“What is his answer to allegations that bulk of the money meant for suffering Nigerians in the Northeast was diverted to private pockets of key All Progressives Congress (APC) members and the Presidency cabal to finance their wasteful lifestyle?”

The PDP further said it is “privy to frantic effort by Presidency agents and APC to arm-twist and intimidate the House of Representatives to abort its investigation and ensure that the report does not see the light of day.