ABUJA—The Senate President, Dr. Bukola
Saraki and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara,
yesterday, debunked claims by the former
Interim National Chairman of the All
Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Bisi Akande
that their election as Senate President and
Speaker was facilitated by oil barons describing
the allegation as baseless, false and
unbecoming of a respected statesman.
The duo also said the allegation levelled against
them was lacking in substance and merit and
could best be described as figment of Chief
Akande‘s imagination.
Chief Bisi Akande had on Sunday fingered fuel
subsidy thieves and corrupt businessmen as
being behind the current crisis in the APC which
culminated in the emergence of Bukola Saraki
as senate president and Yakubu Dogara as
speaker of the House of Representatives.
Dogara and Saraki
Saraki reacts
The Senate President in his reaction to the
allegation said: “Ordinarily, we would have
ignored the report credited to Chief Akande but
for the sole reason that some undiscerning
readers might mistake the fiction for the facts.
We wish to state unequivocally that it was
wrong and mischievous for the statement by
Chief Akande to link what happened on the
floor of both chambers to some unnamed oil
barons. We dare say that the entire story was
the figment of the imagination of the author and
we make bold to state that in the 7th Assembly,
Senator Bukola Saraki was Chairman of the
Senate Adhoc Committee which exposed the
fraud and mismanagement in the oil sector.”
A statement from the office of the Senate
President reads: “Until Saraki’s motion on the
floor of the senate, no one was in the picture of
the rot in the sector or took any action.
Therefore, Senator Saraki will be the last person
the oil barons will want to see as Senate
President. In that position, Saraki did not only
lead his colleagues in exposing the rot in the
scheme but made very strong
recommendations on how the system could be
reformed and made corrupt- free. It is on record
that through his motion on the floor of the
Senate, the House of Representatives followed
in what is to be known as Oil Subsidy probe
which the Ministers of Finance and Petroleum
summoned and at last over N500 billion was
saved.
“Further to this, during the Senate hearing on
the missing $20 billion, Senator Saraki led the
onslaught to both the Minister of Finance,
Minister of Petroleum and other federal
agencies despite being in the ruling party then.
To this effect, Senator Saraki refused to sign the
final copy of the committee’s report but rather
put forward a minority report with a press
statement and went further to oppose the
inclusion of kerosene subsidy in the 2015
budget as well as his opposition to Petroleum
swap deal by NNPC.
“The 8th Senate under Senator Saraki would
give all necessary legislative support to the
administration of President Muhammadu
Buhari to fight and reduce corruption against
the so called oil barons and for avoidance of
doubt, we want to make it abundantly clear that
it is totally false, untrue and calculated mischief
to suggest that Senator Saraki’s emergence as
Senate President was facilitated by oil barons.”
Akande’s allegations baseless —Dogara
Also speaking on the issue, Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara,
said that his election and acceptance was as a
result of his capacity, experience, spirit of team
player, incorruptibility and his progressive mind
and which endeared him to his colleagues.
In his reaction signed by his Special Adviser,
Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, Dogara
said: “The allegation by Chief Akande is
unbecoming of a well-respected elder-stateman
and a former Interim National Chairman of the
APC.
“We challenge Chief Akande to name the so-
called oil barons whom he alleged sponsored
the election of the Speaker and in case Chief
Akande does not know, the first investigative
motion adopted by the 8th House of
Representatives under the leadership of the Rt.
Hon. Speaker was to investigate the allegation
of fraud in the oil-swap contract awarded by the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation,
NNPC.
“A resolution instituting investigation into the
allegation was passed with a resolve to
constitute an Ad-hoc committee to investigate
the NNPC, as well as its subsidiary, Pipelines
and Products Marketing Company over the
swap contracts. How then can the House under
the leadership of Mr. Speaker order
investigation into activities of those who
allegedly sponsored his election. So, Chief
Akande`s allegation is unfortunate and
uncharitable.”

If this accusation is factual, then I fear for the survival of APC, as those who are suppose to bridge the gap or settle her dispute has become the sponsors, just as sahara reporters has turn 'Tinubu reporters'

.

It is clear enough!

Apc na bag of pretenders, I no vote fr dem, but I kinda like buhari

We all know

Personally am not against APC or her members, what am against is their stand to continue campaign after winning election. They should face the busy of governance and allow the opposition to do the talking.

All I know is that the truth will soon be revealed