Romanus Ugwu, Abuja

Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yekini Nabena, has described as ‘comical and ridiculous’, the reason given for the trip by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, his running mate, Peter Obi; Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the party’s National Chairman, Uche Secondus, to Dubai.

Dismissing the media report that the quartet went to Dubai to “plot strategies to oust President Muhammadu Buhari” in next year’s election, the ruling party’s deputy spokesperson noted that such meetings had unfruitfully been held in the country repeatedly.

In the statement Nabena personally signed, he claimed that the meeting was for sinister purposes, urging security agents to be on the alert.

“The purpose of the said meeting is both comical and ridiculous as they have held several meetings for the same purpose in Nigeria.

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“Clearly, the meetings held in Nigeria did not yield their desired results, hence, a follow up meeting in Dubai.

“But we know the way of these set of politicians and the political party they represent.

“There is more to the meeting that meets the eye. Nigeria has enough meeting/conference rooms, many of which meet international standards. It is therefore clear that the Dubai meeting is for other sinister political purposes ahead of the 2019 elections.

“Our intelligence, anti-graft and security agencies must be awake to its responsibility of investigating the Dubai meeting.

“Cash and carry politicians must be prevented from moving illicit cash around to induce voters and sponsor election violence and rigging.

“Again, relevant agencies must check suspicious movement of cash both locally and internationally by politically exposed persons under the guise of a ‘Dubai meeting’ or any clandestine meeting.

“We are mindful of how millions of dollars were confiscated in an aircraft belonging in a Nigerian PDP sympathizer in South Africa in the leadup to the 2015 elections.

“The case of N250 million cache found in the Peter Obi’s private office in Lagos remains unresolved.

“Another round of election is here and it is not unlikely that they are playing a repeat performance, under the guise of holding a meeting in Dubai.

“Our security agencies should be on the watch for a stitch in time saves nine,” the statement read.

Meanwhile, Nabena has dismissed the
reported promise by the PDP Presidential candidate to reduce the pump price of petrol from the prevailing N145/Litre to N90/per litre.

The party’s deputy spokesperson emphasised that it ‘sounds like a cheap political gist designed to hoodwink unsuspecting voters ahead of the 2019 election’.
“A perusal of well entrenched and verifiable market fundamentals clearly indicates that the promise is virtually anchored on fiction and limited knowledge of the petroleum industry.

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“The fact as we speak is that at a petrol cost under recovery fluctuating between N60-N70 per litre propelled by vaunting crude oil price of around $81 per barrel, the only way the bogus promise could be possible albeit unreasonably, is through the re-introduction of the PDP styled subsidy payment schism which almost bled the nation to death.
“It is shocking to note that at a period when the nation is looking ahead to embrace the eventual deregulation of the downstream sub-sector of the oil and gas industry to allow for equitable private sector participation and break the seeming NNPC monopoly of fuel importation, the PDP is plotting a reversal of the spiraling wheel of progress.
“No doubt if the PDP had been clairvoyant enough in its long years’ of ruler ship to fix the local refineries and make them work for the benefit of Nigerians, the country would have reaped bountifully from the gains of higher price of crude oil while optimizing the benefits that comes with local processing of its God given natural resource,” the statement read.