Chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Minister of Aviation, Chief Fani Kayode, has described the ‘looters list’ released by the federal government as arrant nonsense and utterly shameful.
The former Director of Media and Publicity of Goodluck Jonathan/Nanamadi Sambo Campaign organization during the 2015 elections stated yesterday in a statement made available to the newsmen that he “is totally innocent of any wrongdoing” and he never looted N800 million from government coffers as alleged.
He explained that he neither received nor was given one kobo by any government official, agency or parastatal during Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure as president.
“The money that I received was given to me by the Director of Finance of the Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Mrs.
Esther Nenadi Usman, before the election in 2015 and it was specifically for the conduct of the Presidential election,” he said.
Kayode noted that “Mrs. Usman, who was Minister of Finance during the Obasanjo government, was neither a member of the Jonathan government nor did she manage, handle or touch any government funds in her capacity as Director of Finance of the Jonathan campaign.
“The money she made available to me came from a private company account which was used to house contributions made to the Jonathan campaign by party supporters after a series of fundraising event.
These were private funds and not public funds and neither can anyone expect us to have run an election in 2015 without any money.
” He argued that “no ‘looters list’ is complete without the names of Muhammadu Buhari, Yemi Osinbajo, Rotimi Amaechi, Babatunde Fashola, Bola Tinubu, Lai Mohammed, Adamu Abdullahi, Dambazau, Kayode Fayemi, Babachir Lawal, Maina, Maikanti Baru, Buratai, all APC governors and other key members of the Buhari administration and the APC.
” The former aviation minister alleged that “It is common knowledge that the Buhari campaign in 2015 was funded by moneys that can betraced directly to the state governments of Rivers state, Lagos state,Kano state, Ogun state and a number of other key APC states, yet not one of those involved or that governed any of those states at the time have been questioned, arrested or prosecuted by the EFCC or thefederal government.
” He also alleged that, “President Buhari himself was off ered and received several benefits and received money from the office of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, yet nothing has been done about it.
“Buhari administration’s socalled war against corruption is selectiveand punitive It is nothing but a squalid and mafialike attempt tomuscle, discredit, demonise and silence key members of the opposition.
It is slanderous, malicious and unjust,” he said.
