PDP bungled public trust –Osinbajo

From Taiwo Amodu, Abuja
Vice President, Professor  Yemi Osinbajo has admonished political parties to refrain from diverting fund meant for public services into party campaigns.

Speaking at the 2016 Annual Conference of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) held at the Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, yesterday, Osinbajo who was represented by his Special Assistant on Political Parties, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, expressed consternation over the manner fund budgeted for arms procurement to fight insurgency were diverted into political campaigns and funneled into private accounts of chieftains of the erstwhile ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party.
The Vice -President dismissed claim that the anti-corruption war was selective and targeted at members of the main opposition party, noting that it was  aimed at bringing sanity to the polity in order to sustain democracy in the country.
He cautioned that the trend should not  be allowed to continue, while urging the  IPAC to  play critical role in educating political parties and  the general public to ensure stability of the democratic process.
“Politics and elections should not be war or depletion of public resources. Never again will government agencies be used in favour of any political party to win elections.
“The war against corruption is not targeted at the opposition parties. What government is doing now is that money meant for essential services should not be diverted for campaigns or any other purpose.”
Professor Osinbajo recounted unsavoury tales of  soldiers in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents during the last administration, as he noted that “some military men went to the battle with 10 bullets, some went with nothing while others went with obsolete weapons.”
In his remarks, Senate President,  Bukola Saraki, who was  represented by his Special Adviser on Legal and Constitutional Matters, Ibrahim Tukur El-Jadi advised political parties to always educate their members to behave responsibly and  refrain from violence.
“We must all understand that to truly develop and sustain the flames of Nigeria’s democratic fires, we must fan these flames with ideologies. “We must work towards creating a system of responsible political behaviour both within and outside our parties – letting our supporters know that violence in all its forms will not be tolerated by party and its proxies.

source: Sun News