Maybe he’s is talking about sleaze in NNPC or IDP camp contract scam–PDP
President Buhari has warned aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to be careful with politicians who mismanaged the national treasury and are now desperate to return to power in 2019.
A statement on Wednesday by the president’s special adviser on media and publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said Buhari gave the warning at a dinner with the APC Aspirants Forum at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday evening.
“Those who mismanaged the resources of the country are still very much around, with incredible wealth,” said Buhari.
The president urged the aspirants who lost out in the primaries to remain faithful to the country and hold fast to integrity as there would be more opportunities to serve along the way.
Buhari said the primary motivation to contest elections should be to improve the country and not for pecuniary reasons.
“We must maintain our faith in the country,’’ he told the coalition of party members who contested the primaries.
The President said he contested presidential elections three times before coming to power in 2015, adding that providence would always pave the way for the just, committed and patient politician, who wants to truly serve the country.
“I spoke with the APC party chairman almost every other day, at least for an hour during the primaries. And sometimes, we met for two and half hours on ensuring internal democracy during the primaries,’’ the President said.
He pointed out that in spite of all efforts to appease everyone and give them a chance at the polls, some aspirants were still not treated fairly.
“I urge you to stay faithful if your objective is to serve the country. I came back to power in this ‘agbada’ to convince Nigerians to make sacrifices that the country needs now for a better future,’’ he added.
In his remarks, the minister of justice and attorney general of the federation, Abubakar Malami, said the meeting was organised to address grievances and fallout from the APC primary elections across the country.
The minister said it would be unfortunate to allow the grievances overshadow the challenges before the country, assuring the aspirants that the government would assuage their yearnings to serve the country.
Malami said the aspirants should work collectively with the President in building the party and setting up a framework that would ensure healthier relationships and better internal democracy.
The leader of the APC Aspirants’ Forum, Hon. Yusuf Banki, said the network of 7,000 members would work to ensure Buhari’s victory at the polls in 2019.
The senior special assistant to the president on national assembly matters (senate), Mr. Ita Enang, confirmed that the aspirants pledged to work for the party.
“The meeting went very well and the aspirants showed the spirit of comradeship and pledged to work with the President and all the candidates that the party has chosen and filed with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“The aspirants were very conciliatory and the president showed fatherhood,” he added.
But reacting to the president’s statement, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP said maybe Buhari was referring to the APC members as looters who want to desperately takeover from him.
The party’s national publicity secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said nobody in the re-branded PDP could be accused of looting the nation’s treasury.
“He has collected all of them and they are now members of his party.
“May be, he is talking about the sleaze in the NNPC, or he is talking about the N200 million used to cut grasses in IDP camps.
“Certainly, he was not referring to members PDP. Those you may refer as corrupt have left PDP, they are now in APC,” he said.
