Asset Declaration: PDP Accuses Presidency of Deception

Fri, Sep 4, 2015
By publisher
4 MIN READ

BREAKING NEWS, Featured, Politics

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The Peoples Democratic Party has picked holes in the assets declaration by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, describing the action as deceptive and inadequate

THE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, believes that Nigerians have short-changed by the public declaration of assets by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. Besides, the opposition party described the declaration as “a deceptive window-dressing to hoodwink unsuspecting Nigerians.”

Buhari and Osinbajo on Thursday, September 3, made public details of their assets, which they had submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau, through a statement by Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity. According to Shehu, the president has about N30m in his only bank account with the Union Bank Plc, while the vice-president has a balance of N94m, $900,000 and 19,000 pounds in his bank accounts. Properties of both leaders were also listed.

But the PDP said the declaration was inadequate, saying it was not in tandem with what Buhari had promised the nation. The party recalled that the president in his own words had stated to Nigerians that: “I pledge to publicly declare my assets and liability and also encourage my political appointees to publicly declare their assets and liability.”

Even then, the party said both President Buhari and Vice-President Osinbajo failed to produce copies of their declarations, detailing the exact nature and value of respective assets.

Olisa Metuh, national publicity secretary of the PDP, in a statement on Friday, September 4, described the list of declaration as “a mere list of belongings,” which “falls short of credibility, transparency and anti-corruption standards as well as exposes the proclivity of the present administration for deception.”

The statement further described the release as “a flimsy list of belongings” which Buhari and Osinbajo would want to pass as the public declaration of assets as pledged by Buhari.

It said Nigerians could not be deceived by the poor attempt to hoodwink them by such a desperate attempt by the Presidency “to shore up its diminished image.” It, therefore, said only true copies of the asset declarations would suffice and not a statement from an aide from the Presidency.

“All we want is credibility, integrity and sincerity of purpose. We are not questioning how a president, who by December last year, declared that he had only N1 million in his account, could suddenly now list N30 million in the same bank account by May 29, and after an expensive campaign; we are not yet demanding the public declaration of his assets in his wife’s name.

Buhari, Osinbajo
Buhari, Osinbajo

“We are not even applauding the multiplication of his cows from 150 to 250 in a space of three months, arising from his dual and conflicting pronouncements on this issue What the PDP and discerning Nigerians demand is for Mr. President to always stand by his words and pledge,” the PDP said.

Consequently, the party said what the Presidency had done was not public declaration of assets but giving a mere list of belongings and that it should not be regarded as fulfilment of the president’s covenant with Nigerians.

Like the PDP, not everyone seems to be excited about the public declaration done by Buhari and Osinbajo. They would want to know assets of their wives as well as their liabilities.

One of such persons is Carol Ajie, a lawyer. Ajie said Buhari and his deputy should inform the public “if they have liabilities or not, bearing in mind that the Constitution places emphasis on assets and liabilities.”

She said in a newspaper interview: “We need a bit more on specificity on some of the items such as shares in Berger Paints, Union Bank and Skye Bank, considering the length of time between April when he won the election and now, a period of six months for assets valuation of his seven houses located in Daura, Kano, Kaduna and Abuja. We have no addresses on these houses and what type of houses-bungalow, block of flats or duplexes- and estate valuer’s estimates. Same for his farms, orchard and a ranch in Daura, etc.”

But the likes of Sina Odugbemi, chief executive, Master Multi Ventures Limited, said the president and his deputy have done very well by the public declaration of their assets. Ogunsola said the public declaration of assets by the two leaders showed leadership by example. He said: “I congratulate myself and, indeed, all patriotic Nigerians who believed in President Buhari and overwhelmingly voted for him. It’s now clear that after all we have put our votes of confidence in trusted hands. God grant him further good health and wisdom to lead this country.”

— Sep 14, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT

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One thought on "Asset Declaration: PDP Accuses Presidency of Deception"

  1. Let them stop deceiven Nigerians what i know is that a criminal is always a criminal if buhari what to work let him start we believe in du process i am not saying bad but is a human like me and u Thank God he won presidential election and past president congratulate him is a good democratic to houmulet in Africa let no any leader deceive the youth let him focus how today well be better Tham past i what to beg president to engaged youth in his tenor