The All Progressives Congress has alleged that President Jonathan is starving opposition governors of funds whilst doling out monies to PDP governors who are loyal to his administration.
The National Publicity Secretary of the APC made the allegation whilst speaking to journalists in Illorin, Kwara as part of a programme organized by the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
Mohammed said, “As a matter of fact, as I am speaking today, we have in our possession a document that the President has given N2 billion each to 16 states, and of these states not one of them is an APC state. The idea is to starve the APC states of their constitutional entitlements and secretly fund states that are perceived to be with the President.
“This is a matter we will take up and the National Assembly, we hope, will also take up the matter. I think the matter should be thrown to the court of public opinion.
“The President should understand that whatever money accrues to the Federal revenue account is for the benefit of all Nigerians. It is not for Mr. President to use as Christmas gift or as a carrot for those who support him. We know that the battle for 2015 would not be easy but we want to assure the President that he is going to have a tough battle on his hand.
“Many things are happening in the Villa today. One thing is clear: Mr President is ready to use all manners, all methods constitutional and illegal to ensure he punishes governors.
“I will only give you two instances. I am sure you have heard about the controversy over the benchmark issue. The President wants the benchmark to be put at $74 per barrel of crude oil; the Senate passed $76; the House of Representatives insisted on $79. The politics of benchmark is very simple. If you remove all the fine grammar of economics, benchmark simply means cost price. Crude today sells for about $110. “At $74, it will be impossible pay states their statutory allocations. If it is $74, the states will be entitled to only 28 per cent of $74, multiplied by, say two million barrels. At the end of the day the balance between $110 and $74 will be kept in the Excess Crude Account (ECA).
“The Excess Crude Account is at the discretion mostly of the President. The idea is that if the National Assembly approves $74 as the benchmark, the states will be starved of funds and there will be no money for development.
“Meanwhile, the President will now take money out of the Excess Crude Account to give to states that are very close to him through probably Ecological Funds or relief.”
He added: “The singular act of registering the All Progressives Congress (APC), the face of opposition changed in Nigeria and the opposition became broad-based. On August 1, this year, seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors walked out of the national convention of their party and I believe that the PDP is yet to recover from that internal rebellion.”
“On November 28, five of the PDP governors came along with the leadership of the New PDP to become part of the APC. I think these three events have changed the political climate, landscape and calculation of the entire polity. These three events, put together, have also altered the aspirations, ambitions of not just the individuals but also of the political parties.
“We are today standing on the threshold of a new dawn for Nigeria, because as things stand today, there is a balance of term in Nigerian polity.”
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