The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lambasted President Muhammadu Buhari-led government over the controversial reinstatement and sacking of Abdulrasheed Maina, an alleged criminal and fugitive by the Federal Government.
The party warned that with the apparent reinforcement of financial corruption by Buhari-led Federal Government, that Nigeria might soon get to its demise “if the celestial does not intervene.”
According to the PDP, the present saga was a proof of the classic novel by a British author, Jeffery Archer, entitled “Honour among thieves”, where the author postulated that “criminals do not compromise the actions of other criminals”.
PDP stated this in a statement its spokesperson, Dayo Adeyeye, released in Abuja on Monday, lamenting that while Nigerians had expected the arrest and prosecution of Maina, they instead got the story of his reinstatement.
“It is in the light of this that the PDP wishes to state that we are not too shocked at the steps taken by the administration of the All Progressives Congress in reinstating a supposed criminal and fugitive, Abdulrasheed Maina to office instead of getting him arrested
“Birds of a feather flock together. All people of good conscience will not forget in a hurry that Maina, who was given an assignment by the last administration of the PDP to superintend the now defunct Presidential Task Force on Pension Reforms, dipped his hands into the jar and helped himself to N100 billion of what he was supposed to safeguard.
“With good conscience at fighting corruption, the PDP government then mandated the anti-corruption agencies to perform their constitutional duty. Maina fled, only to resurface in the country four months ago under the Buhari administration.
“As a party of good conscience, we wish to condemn in strongest terms the penchant of the administration of President Buhari to giving safe haven to known criminals while hoodwinking Nigerians that it’s fighting corruption,” the PDP said.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has applauded President Buhari for ordering the immediate sack of the former chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force, Maina.
NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, however called on Buhari to also order for investigation into what led to Maina reinstatement.
In a statement he released in Abuja, he said, “Except those involved in the Maina Gate, every other person in Nigeria was aware of the report of the Senate after a painstaking investigation; the refusal of Maina to avail himself to the Senate or the EFCC; his being declared wanted by the EFCC; his taking refuge in the corridors of power then, complete with a retinue of armed personnel, before his subsequent elopement to a foreign country when power changed hands
“Maina had all the opportunity to clear his name in court if he felt the Senate and EFCC were biased against him. But, he did none of those. Instead, he and his co-conspirators in the new corridors of power elected to do the unthinkable, promote and post him because they think Nigerians have forgotten. It is sickening. It stinks to high heavens.
“As follow-up action to Mr. President’s directive, we at the Nigeria Labour Congress demand a full investigation of the circumstances that led to Maina’s flight and reinstatement; and prosecution on allegations of corruption.”
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