Opposition Reacts to the Alleged $55m Bribe Received by Oshiomhole

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has expressed shock on the contents of the report of the Department of State Services (DSS) on the allegations of bribery against the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole.

The DSS report alleged that Oshiomhole could have received as much as $80million in graft from party aspirants. It said so far, there is conclusive evidence and proof that the former governor of Edo State received about $55million.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the CUPP spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, said there should be immediate prosecution of Oshiomhole and Farouk Adamu for their involvement in unbridled bribery during the just concluded APC primaries.

The opposition condemned alleged attempts by the President Muhammadu Buhari and his handlers to suppress the report on the premise that it would negatively impact on the re-election of the president as Oshiomhole is allegedly already threatening to pull down the entire party if he is not allowed to have his way.

According to the CUPP, "Oshiomhole claims that the funds he received were not for personal use but an ingenious mechanism meant for funding the re-election of President Buhari. From the report, the largest payments came from a national leader of the party in the South-west region who allegedly paid over $15million to purchase the governorship slots of Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States.

“Senate tickets were sold for between $100,000 to $250, 000 while the House of Representatives tickets were purchased for between $50, 000 to $100, 000, and governorship tickets went for a flat rate of $5million.

"We are aware that Adamu, a former House of Representatives member and a known confidant of the president, was involved in all these with Oshiomhole, and he was alleged to have led the team that persuaded the president to let things be as his campaign would be a beneficiary of the largesse and that it would fragment the party if prosecution is allowed at this time."

The opposition party further said: "Nigerians are still striving to get over the N5.8billion NEMA-Gate scandal wherein the House of Representatives had directly indicted the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and now, the national chairman of the party is enmeshed in another scandal. The massive corruption allegations in the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is still fresh, while the billions of dollars illegally withdrawn and stolen from the NLNG as uncovered by the Senate is still oozing its stench on the so called integrity of President Buhari."

It further stated that at this stage, “the Buhari regime is now clearly an assemblage of audacious criminals and corruption lovers of unprecedented proportions.”

They tasked President Buhari to rise above petty politics and hand over the DSS report to the EFCC immediately so that prosecution can commence, as this is a true test of the integrity of the president.