The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately suspend the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio over allegations of fraud against him in the corruption saga hanging around the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The party also asked President Buhari to immediately dissolve the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC where officials have been accused of mismanagement of funds designated for the development of the Niger Delta region.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement said, the party maintained that though President Buhari has ordered a ‘speedy and coordinated investigation’ of the activities of the NDDC management, “such an important probe cannot yield any credible result as long as Senator Akpabio and indicted IMC are still in charge in the commission.”
The PDP insisted that the immediate suspension of the minister and the IMC remained the only way to ensure that such individuals did not interfere with investigations or tampered with vital documents.
The statement said: “Our party invites President Buhari to note that already, there are manifest efforts to frustrate investigations into the NDDC activities as witnessed in the attempt to abduct and silence the whistleblower, former acting Managing Director of the NDDC, Joi Nunieh, to prevent her from further exposing the alleged corrupt conduct of the embattled minister and the IMC.
“Nigerians are also aware of the condemnable conduct of the current acting Managing Director of the indicted IMC, Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, who walked out on the House of Representatives committee investigating the corruption in the NDDC, ostensibly to frustrate the speedy and coordinated audit of the activities of the IMC.
“The PDP strongly condemns the invasion of Ms. Nunieh’s residence by security operatives in an apparent attempt to abduct her on the alleged orders from above and urged the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to fish out all those behind the ugly incidence.
“Our party also urges the IGP to provide adequate protection for Ms. Nunieh and other witnesses in the probe from the corrupt cabal in the NDDC who have shown to be desperate to silence witnesses in order to cover their trails.”
