The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted President Bola Tinubu over what it termed “his over-bloated delegation of 1,411 individuals to the Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates”.
The main opposition party spoke in a Sunday statement signed by National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, following an uproar over the presidential delegation reportedly brimming with Tinubu’s cronies, political minions and their mistresses at huge expense to the nation.
In its reaction, the PDP said that this incident further validates its stance that the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration is wasteful, frivolous and reckless in the application of the scarce resources of the nation, especially at a time Nigerians are yearning for prudent management of resources to achieve the desired infrastructural regeneration, job creation and revamping of the economy.
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The PDP described as “feeble” an attempt by the presidency to rationalise the over-bloated delegation by trying to hide under genuine sub-national officials, businesses, journalists and civil society organisations who are travelling at their own expense to “cover the baggage of cronies, mistresses and other hangers-on associated with the Presidency who are reportedly attending at government’s expense and have no relevance whatsoever at the Conference”.
The PDP questioned why “a country whose citizens are dying daily from inability to purchase necessities be willing to fritter its resources and scarce foreign exchange in such a manner? It only points to the fact that this administration is not interested in the good of the generality of our citizens but for a select few positioned to fleece the nation’s resources”.
The PDP challenged the presidency to come clean by making public the names of the official delegation sponsored by the Federal Government to the conference, the relevance of such individuals to the conference and the total cost of such sponsorship on the nation.
“The PDP calls on the National Assembly, pursuant to its Constitutional duty under Section 88 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which empowers it to investigate and expose corruption by any organ of Government, to immediately commence investigation into this embarrassing revelation and impose appropriate sanction on anyone or Institution found culpable in that regard.
“Our Party also demands that President Tinubu should be ready to refund any Federal Government fund improperly spent to sponsor any individual who has no relevance at the Conference. Such funds should be channeled to projects that have direct bearing on the wellbeing of Nigerians,” the PDP said.