Linking Our Party Chieftains To Hushpuppi Exposes APC’s Victimisation Agenda, Says PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has reacted to the statement by the All Progressive Congress (APC) linking some of its party chieftains to cyber-crime suspect, Ramon Olorunwa Abbas, also known as, Hushpuppi.

Hushpuppi who was arrested in Dubai and extradited to the US, is facing criminal charges for “conspiring to launder hundreds of millions of dollars from Business Email Compromise (BEC) frauds and other scams, including schemes targeting a U.S. law firm, a foreign bank and an English Premier League soccer club”.

If convicted of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, the self-acclaimed Instagram influencer would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.

The APC had called on the anti-graft agencies in the country to investigate reports linking some PDP top echelon and financiers to the Dubai-based international criminal ring.

“That the PDP leadership turned Dubai into their “Strategic” meeting place ahead of the 2019 general elections in Nigeria and “Hushpuppi’s” affinity with the PDP leadership is not mere coincidence,” the APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena said in a statement on Saturday.

“At different times, “Hushpuppi” was been photographed in Dubai meeting with the PDP’s 2019 presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Dino Melaye among other PDP stalwarts.”

But the main opposition PDP described the statement as irresponsible and reckless, adding that it further exposes the victimization agenda of the APC.

The party’s spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement on Sunday, said the ruling party’s statement further exposed how the APC administration has been using agencies under its control to “frame innocent opposition members, dissenting voices, rival political parties, and perceived opponents of the government on trumped-up charges under the guise of fighting corruption.”

The statement partly reads: “The desperate bid to frame innocent Nigerians who are not in any way involved with Hushpuppi, even after a very broad investigation by prominent investigators including the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), leaves no one in doubt that APC government has been victimizing opposition members with fabricated charges.

“The party also revealed that it has however been made aware that the statement by the APC is part of a heinous design by certain power mongers close to the APC administration to commence a fresh clampdown on perceived political rivals within and outside the opposition circles, ahead of the 2023 general election.

“Nigerians should not be surprised when the APC will begin to list the names of innocent political leaders, including those who are now being persecuted in their party, on trumped-up charges, for political interests.

“While our party has no link whatsoever with Hushpuppi, as the APC also acknowledged, Nigerians are aware that his pictures with some prominent Nigerians, such as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, which the APC is frenzied about, do not suggest any affinity beyond the usual jostling by people, world over, to be photographed with leaders.

“Of course, such happens to all prominent individuals, especially leaders, including President Muhammadu Buhari.

“It is therefore unfortunate that a ruling party, which is now led by a sitting governor, is spending its energy to frame innocent Nigerians instead of confronting the myriads of economic and security problems it caused the nation, in addition to finding solution to the serious demands of COVID-19 pandemic.

“If the APC is indeed fighting corruption, it should have called for the investigation of its leaders who, as state governors, ministers and even APC National Chairman have been indicted for stealing and treasury looting.

“The APC should be calling for the investigation of one of their state governors, who was seen on a viral video, stuffing his robe with gratification, in foreign currency, as well as their candidate in a forthcoming election, who has been declared by a former APC National Chairman as a treasury looter, who is only good for “night meetings” and not fit to be state governor.

“Having been exposed, the PDP cautions the APC to steer clear of our members and other hard working Nigerians, in various fields of endeavor, who are perceived to be opponents of the APC.

“Moreover, our party will not be distracted by the APC, which has gone into panic mode over its imminent electoral loss in Edo as well as Ondo state.”