APC brazenly fielding corrupt candidates, says PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the anti-corruption crusade of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “dead on arrival”.

Speaking through its national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, the party said the APC’s decision to field Abubakar Audu and Timipre Sylva is a mockery of the party’s stand against corruption.

“It is a mockery of strategy that the APC, which has been touting the fight against corruption as its major policy, would present to the people of the two states, candidates whose public questionable credentials are further evidenced in the charges brought against them by anti-graft agencies,” the party said.

“In Kogi, we have the APC brazenly fielding, for the November 21 governorship election, Prince Abubakar Audu, a former governor of the state that was declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for corruption, and who is now facing charges before the court, of breach of trust, embezzling and misappropriating the sum of N10.9 billion meant for the development of his state.

“In the same vein, in Bayelsa state, the APC is fielding, for the December 5 election, Chief Timipre Sylva, also a former governor of the state, who is similarly before the court on charges of embezzlement of a staggering sum of N19.2 billion belonging to Bayelsa state”

“This APC candidate in Bayelsa is being charged by the EFCC for embezzling funds meant for state workers for a period four years, ‘under false pretence’ of using the funds to augment their salaries.

“Now that the APC is brazenly fielding candidates with questions of corruption, we ask, do they in all honesty expect Nigerians to take them seriously on their much-hyped anti-corruption crusade?

“Does the APC expect the people of Kogi and Bayelsa states to be fooled into voting for the same individuals who are facing charges of looting funds meant for the development of their respective states?

“Also, the controversies trailing the primaries conducted by the so-called APC’s best hands, to produce these candidates with questionable credentials, further foreground the corruption prevalent in the party, which has also manifested in the presence of some persons with debatable reputations in the 21-man list of ministerial nominees forwarded to the Senate for clearance.

The PDP argued that there is an open invitation to corrupt persons to come to the APC, which protects corruption.

“Evidently, the APC has established itself as a party enmeshed and thriving in corruption, even as it tries to hoodwink the public into believing that it is on a mission to fight graft in the country, a contradiction we urge all Nigerians to take copious note of.

“It has therefore become manifest that this administration’s anti-corruption agenda is dead on arrival and only applicable as a tool for witch hunt against the PDP and those holding views divergent to those of the government.

“Consequently, this is an open invitation by the APC to corrupt persons to join them as a party that accommodates, protects and promotes corruption in the country.”

The party restated its support for the PDP gubernatorial candidates in Kogi and Bayelsa state.