A Classical Example Of Honour Among Thieves; says opposition PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party has released a statement reacting to the
reinstatement of wanted former pension boss, Abdulrasheed Maina. Here’s
the party’s official reaction:
Jeffery Archer, the British Author in his Classical Novel Titled “Honour
among thieves” postulated that criminals do not compromise the actions
of other criminals”.
2. It is in the light of this that the PDP wishes to state that we are
not too shocked at the steps taken by the Administration of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) in reinstating a supposed criminal and
fugitive, Abdulrasheed Maina to office instead of getting him arrested.
3. Birds of a feather flocks together.
4. All people of good conscience will not forget in a hurry that Maina,
who was given an assignment by the Last Administration of the PDP to
superintend the now defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms,
dipped his hands into the Jar and helped himself to N100 billion of what
he was supposed to safeguard.
5. With good conscience at fighting corruption, the PDP Government then,
mandated the Anti-corruption Agencies to perform their constitutional
duty. Maina fled, only to resurface in the Country four months ago under
the Buhari Administration.
6. As a Party of good conscience, we wish to condemn in strongest terms,
the penchant of the Administration of President Buhari to giving safe
haven to known criminals while hoodwinking Nigerians that it’s fighting
corruption.
7. While we are growing fatigued shouting ourselves hoarse in protest
against nepotism, a clear form of corruption under this administration
which has been elevated to state craft, we are appalled that the
reinforcement of financial corruption by this government might soon lead
to the demise of this Nation if the Celestial does not intervene.
8. We are worried that the APC Administration seem to have grown thick
skins to constructive criticism; otherwise, no sane government, in spite
of the open condemnation the Party has received from Nigerians over its
shielding of criminals, will repeat another one as done in the case of
Maina.
9. The PDP wish Nigerians can demand from the APC Government, the Civil
Service Rule it relied upon in promoting a wanted criminal who had
abandoned his duty post as an Assistant Director, to the position of a
Director with all benefits attached.
10. We wish the APC Government will tell Nigerians where and when, and
under which Court Jurisdiction Maina was cleared of his criminal
allegations of stealing, warranting his restoration to duty and getting
rewarded with double promotion.
11. It is reported that the Fugitive has been rewarded with payment of
bogus salary arrears amounting to N22 million, which he has reportedly
collected upon approval and release by the Accountant General of the
Federation.
12. We dare the Government of the Day to deny this with verifiable evidences.
13. We are shocked and sad as well that the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) with its viable network under the
Administration of the PDP has suddenly lost steam to the Point that it
wasn’t aware of the Entrance of a high class wanted criminal into the
Country until the Media exposed it.
14. Nigerians can see that the APC Administration has taken the fire out
of our security agencies like the Police, the Department of State
Services (DSS) and the likes.
15. How else can one explain why it took the Media to expose the Arrival
and Promotion of Maina by the Government before the Agencies became
aware of his presence in the Country. We smell complicity…!
16. Nigerians will not forget in a hurry that the President Buhari
Administration has severally shown it’s commitments to protecting
financial criminals who are willing to play ball and are known to be
ardent supporters of the Ruling Party.
17. It is on record that Ahmed Gambo Saleh as Registrar of the Supreme
Court, was accused of stealing N2.2bn belonging to the Supreme Court and
was caught red handed.
18. Same Ahmed Gambo Saleh was initially arraigned but the Case was
almost immediately withdrawn and he was made Secretary of the NJC.
19. Unexplainably, same Ahmed Gambo Saleh is now also the Secretary of the Committee monitoring corruption trials.
20. Nigerians have not forgotten in a hurry how the so called corruption
fighting Government of President Buhari refused to allow the Law take
its course in the graft allegations involving suspended Secretary to the
Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal and the
Director-General of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayo Oke.
21. The Government seem to have also buried without shame, the Expose by
the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu on the
Illegal Award of Contracts running to over $25 Billion by the Group
Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) who has told the World that he has the Support of President
Buhari in carrying out the heist.
22. Though we know that the APC is like a dead horse immune to any
positive prompting; we however, will not do, but ask that the right
thing be done.
23. In this wise, we ask that President Buhari should for once, act like
a President of a nation and not as a sectional leader whose ideas of
right and wrong depends entirely on who is involved.
24. The President should understand that this is a moral and criminal issue and should be so treated.
25. We therefore, demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of Maina
for his atrocities, arrest and prosecution of those who helped him
return to the Country and got restored to his duty post with promotion
added.
26. We also demand the Immediate sack of the Minister of Internal
Affairs, Abdulrahman Danbazzau, Attorney-General of the Federation and
Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami who have been fingered in the
Illegal Act of restoring Maina to office against good conscience.
