A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Timi Frank, has accused the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, of collecting over $50m from different aspirants during the last primaries of the party.
Frank alleged that a large percentage of the money was paid to Oshiomhole through proxies from Imo, Zamfara, Adamawa and Ogun states. In a statement on Thursday, Frank threatened to publish the names and the amount of money paid by aspirants to allegedly bribe the former Edo State governor to clear them and substitute the names of duly elected candidates with those that failed.
But dismissing the allegations as “unfounded”, Oshiomhole labelled Frank “a political jobber”. Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Simon Ebegbulem, he challenged Frank to publish the names of the alleged bribe givers or face legal action. Ebegbulem said, “He is a political jobber looking for cheap popularity. How on earth would people of questionable character like Frank be questioning the integrity of the National Chairman? I challenge him to publish the names of those that gave the alleged bribes or we won’t hesitate to institute legal action against him.”
Frank alleged that the DSS had presented its report and findings against Oshiomhole to President Muhammadu Buhari. He said, “I dare say that this singular act of refusing to order the prosecution of Oshiomhole over sundry acts of bribery and corruption he committed as contained in the DSS report, President Buhari has shown that his APC administration is a stinking house of corruption.” Frank, however, called on the President to act on the recommendations of the DSS by ordering Oshiomhole’s sacking and prosecution, if his government was actually fighting corruption or opposition.
He said, “We are in the know that President Buhari has received the DSS report on Adams Oshiomhole and Nigerians are patiently waiting for the action or inaction of his government because this is an administration that has claimed fighting corruption as an achievement.
“In the history of party administration in Nigeria, no party chairman has been accused of collecting the jaw-breaking amount of money allegedly collected within a short period in office like Comrade Oshiomhole has allegedly done.
“Instead of Oshiomhole to clear his name, he has taken to a diversionary path, asking the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, to resign. Nigerians are not gullible. We shall wait to see how the acclaimed anti-corruption regime will act on this particular issue.
This same Oshiomhole has been attacking the Senate President, calling on him to resign on moral grounds. Can Oshiomhole now step aside while the investigation into his financial malfeasance is ongoing to justify his much talked about morality.”
Source: Punch Newspaper.
