Dasukigate: PDP calls on Jonathan to speak up

ABUJA
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has called on former President Goodluck Jonathan to speak up on the alleged diversion of the $2.1b arms procurement fund into his reelection campaigns.

In what has come to be known as dasukigate, six PDP chieftains are already prosecuted by the EFCC on charges of conspiracy, bribery, abuse of office and criminal breach of trust.

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Abdullahi Jalo, told a press conference in Abuja on Monday that Jonathan must break his silence on the investigation of some prominent members of the party to save the party from the public opprobrium arising from the arms procurement scandal.

“As all of you know, no single kobo can be spent by the Federal Government without an Act of the National Assembly. Money earmarked for arms pur- chase, some people diverted it to something else. So many people that you cannot even expect were involved. Now, darkness has come to light.

“Jonathan is alive, he should clarify whether he asked his former NSA to distribute money meant to fight Boko Haram into his campaign,” he said.

Jalo recalled that the Presidency and the PDP organized a dinner specifically to raise funds for Jonathan’s 2015 Presidential election campaign.

“All of you are aware that there was a dinner, where money meant for campaign was realised. That’s known to all of us, billions of naira were given by business tycoons in this country.

“So, why should somebody now tell us that money meant for arms and appropriated by the National Assembly was diverted into PDP campaign.

“Haliru Bello did a contract with the office of Sambo Dasuki to the tune of N600 million with his company’s name, not PDP.

“In the case of Olisa Metuh, his company allegedly had transactions with the office of National Security Adviser. So, what is PDP business with that?

“We want those people that have been accused to shed light, whether they were given the money to campaign for Jonathan.

“Did they bring the money to the party’s national secretariat?

“PDP has nothing to do with individuals that used their companies to do contracts with National Security Adviser,” he said.