The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to come clean on revelations that the N40 billion taxpayers’ money allegedly siphoned from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) was used to finance its 2019 campaigns.

The party in a statement sent to Igbere TV on Monday, said the revelation, which has reportedly unsettled certain persons in the Presidency, “has further exposed the APC as a decadent lot; a gathering of treasury looters who thrive in cheating, deceit and pretences at very high levels.”

According to the PDP, “The development has further vindicated our stand that the APC is an extremely callous and hypocritical party, which has no iota of conscience but takes delight in depriving our citizens and pillaging resources meant for the wellbeing of our people.

“It is shameful that instead of being remorseful, agents of the APC are reportedly engaging in dirty infighting over how the money was “shared”, with certain top leaders of the APC allegedly getting up to N3 billion each.”

The PDP cautioned the APC not to take Nigerians for a ride with its “usual diversionary empty denials”, finger pointing, hauling of insults and spurious accusations against the opposition party, “as the public already has reports of how very top leaders of the APC, including those operating at the Presidency, were used to conduit the money from the FIRS.”

“The PDP holds that in a nation battling the scourge of corruption, misrule, huge unemployment, unprecedented infrastructural decay, insecurity, hunger and untold hardship, such a humongous allegation must not be allowed to go under the usual APC carpet

“Our party submits that since the APC has been overtly indicted, it should come clean by refunding the N40 billion to the public coffers from where it should be channeled to job creation projects without further delay.

“The PDP invites Nigerians to note how the APC and its Federal Government have failed to account for various pillaging of public funds under the Buhari administration, including the N14 trillion stolen through various phony contracts in the NNPC as well as direct drawings from other government agencies such as the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).

“The PDP notes that if the trillions of naira stolen and stashed away in private purses of APC leaders are recovered and directed to development projects, our nation will not be in its present sorry state under the Buhari administration.”

http://igberetvnews.com/1196331/pdp-carpets-apc-alleged-n40bn-firs-campaign-fund/

Lalasticlala Mynd44 Seun

Lalasticlala

Osinbajo oversaw the disbursement of that fund. Politics is dynamic. When the Pdp takes over, they'll jail Osunbade the same way Buhari is hounding Dasuki.

Magu will request for petitions before he can investigate

Nigerians are always dumb in selecting leaders

PDP too is talking..... Do you guys really think at all... I mean do you want me to open book

To think that that the #40B was executed by Tunde Fowler, supervised by Osibanjo, aka Star boy, partly delivered in two bullion vans on the eve of election to Tinubu makes one wonder shiver in cold.

APC corruption is customized
Coded stealing and Na dem shout thief pass
Very deceitful and hypocritical lots

Afonja thieves= Tinubu, osibanjo and fowler..
40BILLION NAIRA just like that disappeared.. and that's only FIRS on just campaign fund..... we never include campaign funds from CBN , NNPC, DPR, and other agencies

Hypocrites, is this not same reason they are keeping Dasuki in jail. Osibanjo has also shared N40b for electioneering campaigns just like Dasuki. You all will rot in jail.

Osinbajo has nothing to do with the 40bn you people are talking of

YET AGAIN, ANOTHER REITERATION OF A TISSUE OF LIES - BOSF

*So-called Unexplained FIRS N40B Campaign Fund

First it was N90B, but now N40B. Which is which? It took a disgruntled politician to convey the fake news of N90B, now it is the services of an unquestioning PR newswire that is passing on the unsupported, baseless N40B bogus allegation. Whichever way whoever is behind this, a lie is a lie!

In any case FIRS statement bears repeating. Please read it closely and decide for yourself who is lying.

"The attention of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, has been drawn to publication in some online and daily newspapers by a certain Comrade Timi Frank, the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who claimed that the FIRS supported the`APC, through the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo with a phantom N90 billion.

The FIRS wishes to state as follows:

1.      That the entire allegation being spread by one Frank  Timi  that the  Federal Inland Revenue Service spent N90billion to fund the last election is mendacious, wicked, malicious and a calculated attempt to smear the image of the Service and that of his Excellency, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi  Osinbajo. This campaign of calumny and villifying false claims are entirely, libellous, unfounded in fact, irresponsible and a brazen assault on the integrity of the Service as a responsible and accountable organisation and demonstrates an abysmal ignorance of the budgetary and expenditure process of the FIRS.

2.      That in the last four years since Mr. Tunde Fowler has supervised operations at the FIRS, the agency had not received up to N100 billion, per annum, as Cost of Collection from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC. FAAC is a public institution, whose records are open to the public.

3.      That it is from the remittances from FAAC—which had never grossed up to N100 billion, PER ANNUM, that FIRS pays the salary and emoluments and trains it’s over 8000 staff, runs over 150 offices and provides for other needs of the Service.

4.      That given the above, IT IS NOT PLAUSIBLE nor DOES IT MAKE ANY SENSE that FIRS will commit its resources to a phantom campaign of N90 billion as suggested by Mr. Timi Frank and FIRS does not fund political associations.

5.      That FIRS is a creation of statute and its activities are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and financials regulations and thus, IT IS NOT PLAUSIBLE, that its funds could be expended in such a cavalier manner as suggested by Mr. Timi Frank.

6.      That FIRS Budget and expenditure approval processes pass through the Budget Office and the Ministry of Finance, before such are presented to the National Assembly for Appropriation into Law. The National Assembly committees, consisting of all parties and inclinations exercise oversight function on all agencies of the Federal Government to ensure agencies keep to the letters of the Appropriation Act. Thus FIRS’ operations are subjected to Scrutiny and close monitoring by the National Assembly, the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee and the Ministry of Finance.

7.      It is therefore unthinkable, malicious and irresponsible for the said Frank to insinuate or infer that N90 billion or any part thereof could be spent illegally and without budgetary approval.

8.      It is equally alarming to note that this injurious falsehood and blackmail could find space in our mass media without proper scrutiny particularly with the availability of the Freedom of Information Act, which broadly allows Nigerians access to information on expenditure of public funds by government agencies. This all goes to show an orchestrated and invidious decision by paid agents to discredit the Service in order to achieve their diabolical ends, which is at variance from the interest of Nigerians.

9.      We ask members of the public to ignore the claims of Mr. Timi Frank, with the ignominy it deserves as the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC is seeking for cheap popularity and relevance.

10.     It is in the light of the foregoing observations, the FIRS demands an unequivocal apology from the said Mr. Timi Frank and a well publicised public apology in three major and leading newspapers within the next 24 hours. The FIRS shall pursue claims for aggravated damages in libel and injurious falsehood against the said Mr. Frank if he fails to meet these conditions in the next 24 hours.

11.      This invidious publication is targeted as derailing the revenue generation efforts for  the three  tiers of government in the nation. This is calculated economic sabotage and hereby referred to the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation officially.

12.     We finally wish to assure all Nigerians that the FIRS did not spend and could not have spent taxpayers money for political ends. For the avoidance of doubt, every kobo paid by taxpayers goes straight to the Federation Account domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria and that the FIRS does not possess the constitutional right to touch the said account or appropriate any kobo there from to itself.

The FIRS wishes to reassure members of the public that the FIRS is a PUBLIC TRUST, which the agency operates on behalf of Nigerians. Taxpayers money-including the operational funds of the Service- are sacred.  FIRS remains committed to public accountability and transparency in the sacred mandate of tax collection and public expenditure."

Buhari Osinbajo Solidarity Front (BOSF)
www.bosf.ng
December 15th, 2019

TheMainone:
Osinbajo oversaw the disbursement of that fund. Politics is dynamic. When the Pdp takes over, they'll jail Osunbade the same way Buhari is hounding Dasuki.

It's now that I can see how stupid and mischievous you are by judging without concrete evidence

I shook my head for PDP when I read through their useless post, before it was N90 billion but now it has been reduced to N40 billion, hahaha why are you so cruel and unrealistic party like this

The question we should all ask is, where is proof of the N40b, some even say its N90b but still where's proof?! Without that, I don't think this story is authentic.

clarocuzioo:
To think that that the #40B was executed by Tunde Fowler, supervised by Osibanjo, aka Star boy, partly delivered in two bullion vans on the eve of election to Tinubu makes one wonder shiver in cold.

You better go and sit down because you don't have point and you are mischievous

Where are your proof to show all this allegations
Of the N40b or N90b, you people should stop this fake news

TheMainone:
Osinbajo oversaw the disbursement of that fund. Politics is dynamic. When the Pdp takes over, they'll jail Osunbade the same way Buhari is hounding Dasuki.

When you are called to defend your allegation with proof you will start shouting tyranny.

Sense Deficiency is doing you and you don't even know.

Some stories are just a waste of space on Nairaland.

Before it was 90billion, now its 40billion. PDP swims in the pool of inconsistencies