Dr. Jonathan is disturbed by the
determination of President Muhammadu Buhari to probe how $2.1billion was
illegally withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account (ECA), sources said
yesterday, pleading not to be named “because of the sensitivity of the matter”.
Jonathan is said to be planning a protest
to the Gen. Abubakar Abdulsalami National Peace Committee for 2015 General
Elections that:
- the Buhari administration is trying to blackmail him and his erstwhile cabinet members;
- he is not pleased with the corruption tar being put on his administration; and that
- he is worried by the likely probe of the whereabouts of the $4billion taxes and dividends paid by the Nigerian Liquified Natural gas Ltd between 2009 and 2014.
Jonathan and some of his ministers are
said to be angry that Buhari ought to know that such taxes and dividends are
remitted to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Another matter troubling Jonathan and his
ministers, according to sources, is how the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) under his watch allegedly blew N3.8trillion in three years.
The Abdulsalami Committee is yet to have
audience with Buhari on the allegations made by Jonathan, a source said.
The former President arrived in the
country last weekend to “defend his administration”. He could not be reached
for comments last night.
It was, however, learnt that he had chosen
to table before the Abdulsalami Committee some issues, including the
controversial $2.1billion withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) without
recourse to the National Economic Council(NEC).
A source said: “The former President
returned into the country at the weekend but he is unhappy with the bashing of
his administration.
“Jonathan believes that Buhari is
blackmailing him and his ministers, contrary to the terms of the 2015 poll
peace agreement which led to a smooth transition from the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I think Jonathan approached the
Abdulsalami Committee so that he will be left alone by Buhari who openly said
he inherited an empty treasury from his predecessor.”
A former minister in the Jonathan
administration, who spoke in confidence, said: “The ex-President is unhappy
that the administration of Buhari has been stigmatising his administration
instead of putting him into confidence on issues.
“For God’s sake, let them allow this man
to earn his well-deserved retirement. If there is any observation by the new
government, there are standard official procedures of addressing such.”
NEC, on June 29, raised a four-man panel
on how NNPC spent N3.8 trillion in three years.
The four ‘wise men’ are Governors Adams
Oshiomhole (Edo), Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) and
Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe).
While awaiting the submission of the
committee’s report, Oshiomhole joined issues with the immediate past Minister
of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on how $2.1billion in ECA was disbursed
without approval.
He said the $2.1 billion, only $1 billion
was paid to oil marketers as fuel subsidy and about $1billion used for election
purposes.
Although Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala claimed that
the ex-President approved the spending of $1 billion, Oshiomhole said Jonathan
had no right to do so.
He said any withdrawal from the account
ought to be approved by NEC.
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