President Goodluck Jonathan has denied the report that
he spent N2 trillion on the 2015 general election, to secure his re-election
bid as well as the political aspirations of other Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) candidates.
Earlier on Sunday, it was reported that Jonathan had
raised a five-man committee to investigate the spending of the fund; and
alarmed to discover that most of it was embezzled, he was seeking the retrieval
of the unspent/diverted funds. But speaking for the president, Reuben Abati,
his special adviser on media and communication, said the story was wrong-headed
and its motives suspicious. “The front-page story of the Sunday Punch of April
19 alleging that the Presidency spent a whopping N2 trillion on the 2015
General elections, and that a Committee of Five has been set up by President
Jonathan to conduct an audit of how the funds were disbursed by party members
and state officials is mischievous, false and embarrassing,” he said.
“The President has not set up any committee as alleged
in that story. It is also not true that the Presidency and the Peoples
Democratic Party used state funds, or spent N2 trillion during the campaigns.
The innuendoes are wrong-headed; the motives behind
the story are suspicious. “The story alleges, for example, that the Presidency
spent N2trillion on elections and embarked on a money-sharing spree to party
members, support groups and state officials.
The authors of the story and their self-appointed
megaphones further insinuate that public funds were deployed in this regard.
Their allegation of a theft of public funds is
extremely malicious. “How much is the budget of the Federal Government of
Nigeria? The annual budget of the Federal Government is a little over N4
trillion. The story is practically suggesting that half of the federal budget
was spent on elections.
This kind of reckless insinuation is meant to incite
the public and instigate national crisis. “With FAAC having to do everything
possible every month to ensure disbursements and with the Federal Government
heavily committed to the war against terror in the North East, where is the
alleged N2 trillion from the Federal purse? President Jonathan and the People's
Democratic Party conducted the 2015 elections in strict accordance with the
rule of law.
The suggestion of any unlawful conduct cannot be
sustained under any circumstances. “President Jonathan has done his best to
protect and strengthen democracy and promote peace.
He justly deserves all the accolades that he has
received from both Nigerians and the international community for this. Certain
persons and interest groups may not be happy that his profile has further risen
and that his legacy is assured; but they do their country gross disservice when
they act so unpatriotically. “Anyone who is engaged in imposing a crisis on the
country by any means is not being fair to Nigeria.
We can only appeal to the public to be wary of such
reckless tactics now on display, which form the substance of an odd, malicious
campaign after the elections. “We are particularly worried that since the March
28 and April 11 elections, some persons have continued to work very hard to
diminish the Jonathan Presidency.
They need to be reminded that the time for politics is
over; it is now time to focus on the in-coming government, with emphasis on
national development and moving the country forward.”
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