The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of being afraid of indictment in the ongoing probe of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by the House of Representatives.
At a sitting of the House panel conducting the probe on Monday, the NDDC acting Managing Director, Daniel Pondei, suddenly slumped and was rushed to the hospital. In its reaction, the PDP had said the dramatic development underlined the weight of corruption in the ruling party.
“The situation in the NDDC is just a tip of the iceberg on the humongous corruption, looting spree and concealments going on in ministries, department and agencies of government being perpetrated by @OfficialAPCNg leaders and their cronies,” PDP spokesperson, Kola Ologbondinyan, said in a statement on Monday.
But the APC has dismissed the statement as self-indicting and a reflection of the PDP’s antics during its 16 years in power.
“In recognition of the ongoing forensic audit and a legislative inquest into the operations of the NDDC, as a party, we have no intention to trade words on how successive PDP administrations and their cronies institutionalised a culture of contract fraud and other corrupt practices which has robbed the Niger Delta region of badly-needed development. We will rather monitor and await the findings of the ongoing audits.
“The ruling party said it is now clear that no vested interest will continue to turn the NDDC into an Automated Teller Machine ATM while multi-faceted development eludes the Niger Delta region,” APC’s spokesperson, Yekini Nabena, said.
The ruling party accused the main opposition party of attempting to “sabotage and frustrate” the probe to shade its past misdeeds.
“The PDP’s tales of unbridled treasury looting, illusionary fraud and other fictitious allegations are part of their tired, baseless and tactless attempts to get public reckoning, cover past fraud and play the role of opposition which it has shockingly failed at,” Mr Nabena said.
He reiterated the party’s commitment to President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration’s “acclaimed total, unsparing fight against corruption.”
