Oil barons didn’t sponsor us, Saraki, Dogara reply Akande

The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, and the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Yakubu
Dogara, on Monday described as baseless a claim by
the former All Progressives Congress Interim National
Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, that their elections on
June 9 were sponsored by oil barons.
Saraki and Dogara stated this in separate statements
by their aides in Abuja on Monday.
Akande, in a widely publicised statement on Sunday,
had alleged that oil barons who never liked President
Muhammadu Buhari`s anti-corruption stance,
sponsored the elections of Saraki and Dogara in a bid
to stifle the new government.
Akande also alleged that some splinter groups within
the APC were aligning with old and new Peoples
Democratic Party forces to launch a platform for the
2019 polls.
Dogara, in a statement in Abuja by his Special Adviser
on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan,
challenged Akande to name the oil barons.
The speaker said he expected Akande, an elder
statesman, to play his fatherly role at a period of
disputes within the APC’s family by seeking ways to
reconcile the factions, rather than attacking his person.
Dogara said that the allegations existed only in
Akande’s “imagination”, adding that he won his
election based on the support of his colleagues, his
competence and capacity to preside over the House as
the Speaker.
The speaker recalled that the first investigative motion
passed by the House after his election was to probe
the alleged crude oil swap contracts awarded by the
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
He noted that it did not make sense for him to back the
probe of the same oil sector’s stakeholders Akande
alleged to have sponsored his election.
Part of the statement read, “It is baseless and lacking
in substance and merit and can best be described as
figment of Chief Akande`s imagination.
“We challenge Chief Akande to name the so-called oil
barons whom he alleged sponsored the election of the
speaker.
“In case Chief Akande does not know, the first
investigative motion adopted by the 8th House of
Representatives under the leadership of the Speaker
was to investigate the allegation of fraud in the oil-
swap contract awarded by the NNPC.
“A resolution for investigation into the allegation was
passed to constitute an ad-hoc committee to
investigate the NNPC as well as its subsidiary,
Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, over the
swap contracts.
“How then can the House, under the leadership of Mr.
Speaker, order investigation into activities of those who
allegedly sponsored its election?”
The speaker claimed that his anti-corruption stance
was not in doubt as the Legislative Agenda of the 8th
House of Representatives adequately captured it.
“Mr. Speaker has on different occasions reiterated his
resolve to compliment President Buhari`s anti-
corruption stance and insists that the present crop of
leaders don’t have any excuse to give to Nigerians on
the change promised them before and during the
election that brought the APC into power”, he said.
Also, the Special Assistant to the Senate President on
Print Media, Chuks Okocha, described the allegations
as mischievous and totally false.
Okocha, in a statement in Abuja on Monday, said
Akande’s claim gave a negative and dirty impression
that the emergence of the senate president was aimed
at sabotaging the anti-corruption posture of Buhari’s
government and the ‘Change agenda’ of the APC.
He said, “Ordinarily, we would have ignored the report,
but for the sole reason that some undiscerning readers
might mistake the fiction for the facts.
“We also wish to state unequivocally that it was wrong
and mischievous for the statement by Chief Akande to
link what happened on the floor of both chambers to
some unnamed oil barons.
“We dare say that the entire story was the figment of
the imagination of the author.”
Okocha added that Saraki, as the chairman of an ad
hoc committee in the 7th Senate, exposed the fraud and
mismanagement in the oil sector.
He said, “Until Saraki raised his motion on the floor of
the Senate, no one was in the picture of the rot in the
sector or took any action.”
“Senator Saraki will be the last person the oil baron will
want to see as Senate President. No doubt, we make
bold to state that Saraki is the last person to be so
sponsored by the oil barons or cabals.
“In that position, Saraki did not only lead his colleagues
in exposing the rot in the scheme, but made very strong
recommendations on how the system could be reformed
and made corruption- free.”
Okocha said that it was on records that after Saraki’s
motion on the floor of the Senate, the House of
Representatives followed it up with the oil subsidy
probe.
He recalled that the ministers of Finance and Petroleum
were summoned and, at least, over N500bn was saved.
Okocha said, “During the Senate hearing on the missing
$20bn, for those who attended the public hearing,
Senator Saraki led the onslaught of difficult questions
to the Minister of Finance, Minister of Petroleum and
other federal agencies, despite being in the ruling party
then.
“To this effect, Senator Saraki refused to sign the final
copy of the committee’s report but rather, put forward
a minority report with a press statement that followed
suit.”
He added that Saraki opposed the inclusion of kerosene
subsidy in the 2015 budget, adding that the senate
president rejected the Petroleum Swap deal by the
NNPC.
Okocha stated, “Let it be known, therefore, that the
Senate Presidency of Dr. Bukola Saraki would not in
any way be a stumbling block against President
Buhari’s posture against anti- corruption.
“Rather, the 8th Senate under him as the president
would give all necessary legislative support to the
administration to fight and reduce corruption as his
previous actions and bold steps taken against the so
called oil barons indicate that Saraki is committed to
anti-corruption.”
He said that Saraki was elected unopposed as the
Senate President, adding that it was a lie that his
election was sponsored by oil barons.
“Senator Bukola Saraki is determined and focused to
achieve for the Senate targeted legislative agenda and
he is committed to support President Buhari to deliver
on his promises to the people of Nigeria,” Okocha said.