The All Progressives Congress, APC, has attributed worsening security challenges in the country to President Goodluck Jonathan’s tolerance for corruption.
National chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun made this claim in Abuja while briefing the media on the APC’s plans to tackle corruption if it gets elected in 2015.
According to the party leader, the setback being suffered by the military in the war against Boko Haram was just an example of “how the Peoples Democratic Party at the centre has allowed corruption to eat into the heart of our defence and security agencies.”
He faulted the President for making excuses over his failure to fight corruption during his declaration for another term in office.
Odigie-Oyegun said, “There is a good reason for this. Corruption built the PDP, and the PDP built corruption into a weapon which it has deployed against all our values and interests as Nigerians.
“It has built its electoral fortunes on corrupting all vital institutions that should give the popular will of our people’s expression. This allowed them to acquire governing mandates with which they accumulated public funds to consolidate their control over state institutions and resources.
“Public officials have developed and sustained chummy relationships with society figures being investigated for corruption and former public officials convicted for corruption have been selectively pardoned by the Presidency.
“Some of these persons, following their pardon, have been appointed to high positions of influence by the PDP administration and offered their platform to contest for high public office.”
Odigie-Oyegun noted that the issue of corruption was an evil that reigned under state-sponsorship and the patronage of the PDP.
“The administration has demonstrated, both in its body language and explicit actions, a disgusting lack of will and competence to arrest and reverse the debilitating grip of corruption on our national life.”
On what an APC-led administration would do if it gets to power, Odigie-Oyegun said, “An APC administration will restore the integrity and capacity of our military to defend our lives and our land, by removing corruption from their management and operations. Do not give the PDP another opportunity to deepen the crisis in our security institutions and hand over the rest of Nigeria to terrorists”.
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