APC Condemns Plot To Frustrate Investigations Into $9.3 Arm Deal

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News, Politics Thursday, September 25th, 2014

By Funmilayo Omidiji

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has condemned the attempt by the PDP-led Federal Government and some members of the National Assembly, to cover up the smuggling of $9.3 million to South Africa on a private plane, saying the plots will fail, as the the issues involved are beyond Nigeria.

In a statement issued in Lagos Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC opened up and declared the cover-up attempt manifested in the House of Representatives on Tuesday, when Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha curiously refused to entertain a debate on a motion seeking a probe of the issue that has further ridiculed the country in the global community.

It stressed the Ihedioha’s refusal became more suspicious amid allegations that some members of the House has allegedly received each, $50,000 bribe to frustrate the motion.

The opposition hailed its members in the House for staging a walk-out to protest against the inexplicable decision to disallow debate on the issue, insisting by their actions, they have aligned with the majority of Nigerians who were willing to get to the bottom of how such a huge amount of money could be smuggled into another country by the Nigerian authorities, despite being fully aware of the minimum amount of money that could be taken into any country.

APC said while the Senate has already launched a probe into the issue, Nigerians would have preferred that the exercise was done openly, so as to avoid shade of doubt

about the transparency of the investigation. Still, it expressed hope that the lawmakers would do a thorough job to unravel the circumstances surrounding the cash smuggling gate.

”It is shocking that those who were elected by the people will fail to act in the interest of the people. But then we in the APC are not really surprised at this development, going by the antecedents of the Jonathan Administration and his party, the PDP. Thank goodness, everyday the PDP and the government it has sired at the centre are

showing why they should not be voted back into office,” the party said.

APC insisted that the Jonathan Administration and all concerned must come clean on the circumstances surrounding the ferrying of the funds outside Nigeria, including why a government that has expended so much to promote a cashless policy decided to transport 90 blocks of $100,000 each to another country in violation of the country’s laws.

”The resort to ‘procedural error’ is not enough to explain this irresponsible and illegal action, neither is it enough to explain why a duly-constituted government will behave like a rogue government or even like insurgents who will be shopping for arms in the open market.

”Fortunately for Nigerians, South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has said the issue is still under criminal investigation, meaning all attempts to sweep the scandal under the carpet, as the Jonathan Administration is used to doing, will fail” the statement added.

The party therefore called on all well-meaning Nigerians as well as Civil Society Organizations to ensure that the circumstances surrounding the arm deal scandal were unraveled in the interest of Nigeria and her people.