The new National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to direct former President Olusegun Obasanjo to refund the $16 dollars allegedly spent on power if he cannot justify the expenses.

Oshiomhole who spoke yesterday in Abuja at the APC national secretariat when Chief John Odigie-Oyegun formally handed over the mantle of party leadership to him, said Obasanjo would be alive to face prosecution.

He said, “As I was reflecting, I watched our president recently asking questions rhetorically, ‘you have spent $16 billion on power under PDP, where is the power?’

“Nigerians in their various homes, those who have power that day or generator said, ‘Mr President, we don’t have’. So, $16 bn spent, the more dollars they spent, the more darkness the people suffered.

“Now the questions I had in my mind were…Since we don’t find the power, then you must bring the $16 billion that you spent. If he didn’t do that, then the accusations of limited anti-corruption may begin to have some currencies.

“So, to assist PDP to overcome their distinct, our president needs to do the needful. After all, it is already on record what other presidents didn’t do, with regards to the issue of late MKO Abiola and the criminal manner by which the election was nullified; and people pretended that that was never an issue, the president showed courage.

“That same courage should not fail him so that he can proceed to recover the $16 bn back to the treasury from the man who superintendent over the spending of that money.

“So, what we need to do as a party is to provide the support that our president needs and for the Nigerian people to provide those supports and then they want to distract our attention when they are in trouble and say eh! ‘they want to kill me’.

“Our president does not know...Nobody since President Muhammadu Buhari assumes office, no political player of note has been murdered or assassinated for political reasons. But the president under whose watch a minister of justice was murdered in cold blood, that minister could not get justice and so, the shadow, ghost of the Harry Marshalls, Dikibo... You know all of them more than me, however, you put it.

“The man said they want to kill him. No! To kill is to prevent the investigation. He must be alive to account. That is a typical distraction,” he said.

The APC national chairman who pledged to establish what he called “progressive institute” and hold yearly non-elective conventions, dismissed the notion that the ruling party had changed its slogan of “Change to Progress” as chorused by some party members during the convention.

He praised the contribution of Odigie-Oyegun to the party, particularly on the successes recorded during the 2015 general elections.

Chief Odigie-Oyegun, in his remarks, said he was confident in the ability of Oshiomhole to achieve more victories in the forthcoming elections in Osun and Ekiti states. (Daily Trust)

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