…says it’s monument of failure, corruption
Opposition Action Congress (AC) on Thursday described as a monument of failure and corruption the planned N11.5 billion twelve-storey national secretariat building of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Vincent Ogbulafor, PDP national chairman, on Wednesday signed the contract to build the edifice with a French firm mobilising it with N2 billion.
Lai Mohammed, national publicity secretary of AC, reacting on behalf of the party, said the PDP, having failed the nation and stifled democracy, should be winding up as a political party and preparing to give way to serious parties like the AC, instead of wasting funds on a secretariat.
“Never in the history of any nation has a ruling party inflicted so much sorrow and pain on a people as the PDP has done to Nigerians – in the name of democracy – since 1999, when our country returned to democratic rule.
“The rudderlessness and confusion that have characterised the past few months of President Umaru Yar’Adua’s ailment and the effect on Nigerians are some of the indications that the PDP has lost control of its own government and lost touch with reality. The party is now on a free descent into oblivion. The sooner that happens the better for all Nigerians.’’
The AC queried where the PDP got the huge funds from, wondering whether they were part of the proceeds “of looted public funds or whether the funds were skimmed off contracts awarded by the government. Either way, the funds are proceeds of corruption”.
AC said if the funds were contributed by the 27 states controlled by the PDP, it would cost each state about half a billion naira in public funds, saying “Nigerians will like to know whether the money contributed by the states was appropriated by their respective Houses of Assembly.”
The party said the contention of Ogbulafor that the construction of the secretariat demonstrated the commitment of the party towards institutionalising democracy in Nigeria “is laughable and simplistic”.
“Building strong institutions have nothing to do with constructing gigantic edifices. This simplistic thinking in the highest hierarchy of the PDP is a pointer to their warped understanding of democracy, and why they have so woefully failed to make it work for our people.’’