It is not surprising that Kola Ologbodiyan, the spokesman of the PDP has taken it upon himself to repeatedly peddle falsehood against the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo just to please his paymasters. He desperately wants to get a sit at the dining table of Atiku Abubakar, his party’s Presidential candidate who won the dollar-infested Presidential primaries of the PDP on the 6th of October, 2018. Along with his co-travellers, Reno Omokri and Femi Fani-Kayode, Ologbodiyan has been involved in a contest to supplant Segun Sowunmi as the campaign spokesman for Atiku hence his resort to falsehood.

Hon. Ali Isa, (PDP, Gombe), the Chairman of the House Adhoc Committee on Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness, has stated repeatedly that neither Prof. Osinbajo nor the office of the Vice President were mentioned or indicted in the report of his Committee. But these men along with their minions on social media would have none of this as they believe that for Atiku to stand a chance, they need to spread fake news about the Vice President.

It must certainly be heart-breaking for them to see that their malicious and false attacks lack traction; for we all know that Prof. Osinbajo and President Muhammadu Buhari can never be associated with theft of public resources like the previous PDP Government which converted the Central Bank of Nigeria to their cash machine.

They took out billions of dollars from the CBN to share amongst themselves to the detriment of most Nigerians. This is in stark contrast to the Buhari/Osinbajo Government whose focus is working for the majority.

If the PDP is looking for indicted persons, they should look no further because their Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has been indicted severally. Ironically, his indictment by the Senate was reported on the 18th of September, 2006 by this same Kola Ologbodiyan while he was a reporter working at ThisDay Newspapers.

Also, Atiku was indicted for bringing in suspect money into the United States through wire transfers from offshore corporations by the United States Senate Permanent SubCommittee on Investigations.

Ologbodiyan’s assertions that as Acting President in 2017, Prof. Osinbajo drew N5.8 billion from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the federation, without the appropriation of the National Assembly shows his low level of intellect; for there was a food emergency in the Northeast that necessitated the emergency procurement of grains for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
https://newlive.vanguardngr.com/2018/11/nema-reels-out-facts-to-counters-reps-claims/

Even the United Nations Commission for Refugees in Geneva also issued a warning of growing risk of mass death from starvation among people living in conflict areas, including Nigeria. This led Prof. Osinbajo, as the Acting President to approve the release of the sum of N5.8 Billion for the purchase of grains including rice in compliance with S. 16 (2) of the National Emergency Management Agency (Establishment, Etc.) Act which provides thus: The Agency shall not award a contract exceeding the said sum of N30 million without the prior approval of the President. Sections 42 and 43 of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 empowers NEMA to embark on emergency procurement.

It provides that a procuring entity may for the purpose of this Act, carry out an emergency procurement where the country is either seriously threatened by or confronted with a disaster, catastrophe, war, insurrection or Act of God.

Subsection (2) provides that in an emergency situation, a procuring entity may engage in direct contracting of goods, works and services. It further provides that all procurements made under emergencies shall be handled with expedition but along principles of accountability, due consideration being given to the gravity of each emergency.

In their hurry to play out the script of their infamous Dubai “strategy meeting” wherein they resolved to spread negative and false news about the Vice President, Ologbodiyan and his handlers forgot to read Section 82 of the Constitution which gives legal backing to the approval given by the Acting President for the emergency procurement in May, 2017 shortly after the expiration of the 2016 Appropriation Act, and before the 2017 budget was signed.

It provides thus: If the Appropriation Bill in respect of any financial year has not been passed into law by the beginning of the financial year, the President may authorise the withdrawal of moneys in the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation for the purpose of meeting expenditure necessary to carry on the services of the Government of the Federation for a period not exceeding months or until the coming into operation of the Appropriate Act, whichever is the earlier.

Boko Haram insurgency is a legacy of the PDP, and it is common knowledge that the past PDP Government looted billions of dollars from the treasury under the pretext of fighting insurgency without any thought for the Internally Displaced Persons who were the direct victims of their brigandage. This is unlike the case with this Government that ordered emergency food procurement to avert starvation of our compatriots in the North East.
https://newlive.vanguardngr.com/2018/09/president-buhari-fighting-corruption-is-about-institutions-not-individuals/

That the PDP is not a party for the majority is obvious from its panic attacks on the social investment programmes of this Government that is being enjoyed by over 13 million ordinary Nigerians. They would rather have ordinary Nigerians perpetually impoverished while only a few of them pocket the resources of the nation. But we say, “NEVER AGAIN”

Nduka Enweliku, write from Lagos