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The All Progressives Congress has condemned the attemptby the Peoples Democratic Party-led Federal Government, working with some members of theNational Assembly, to cover up the smuggling of $9.3m to South Africa on a private plane, saying the cover-up plans willfail because the issues involve transcend Nigeria.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Thursday by its National PublicitySecretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the cover-up attemptmanifested clearly at the House of Representatives on Tuesday, whenDeputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha curiously refused to entertain a debateon a motion seeking a probe of the issue that has further ridiculedNigeria in the global community.

It said the refusal of the Deputy Speaker becomes even more suspiciousamid allegations that some members of the House have each received$50,000 bribe to quash the motion.

APC however hailed its members in the House of Representatives forstaging a walk-out to protest the inexplicable decision not toallow the issue to be debated on the floor of the House, saying bytheir actions, they have aligned with the majority of Nigerians whoare eager to get to the bottom of how such a huge amount of moneycould be smuggled into another country by the Nigerian authorities,despite being fully aware of the limitation on the amount of moneythat can be taken into any country.

The party said while the Senate has already launched a probe into theissue, Nigerians would have preferred that the probe is done openly,instead of behind closed doors, so there wont be any shade of doubtabout the transparency of the investigation. It however expressed thehope that the Senate will do a thorough job to unravel thecircumstances surrounding the cash smuggling gate.

It is shocking that those who were elected by the people will failto act in the interest of the people. But then we in the APC are notreally surprised at this development, going by the antecedents of theJonathan Administration and his party, the PDP. Thank goodness,everyday the PDP and the government it has sired at the centre areshowing why they should not be voted back into office, it said.

The party insisted that the Jonathan Administration and all concernedmust come clean on the circumstances surrounding the ferrying of thehuge funds to South Africa, including why a government that has spentmillions of naira to promote a cashless policy decided to transport 90blocks of $100,000 each to another country in violation of that countrys laws.

It said, The resort to procedural error is not enough to explain thisirresponsible and illegal action, neither is it enough to explain whya duly-constituted government will behave like a rogue government oreven like insurgents who will be shopping for arms in the open market.

Fortunately for Nigerians, South Africas National ProsecutingAuthority has said the issue is still under criminal investigation, meaning all attempts to sweep the scandal under thecarpet, as the Jonathan Administration is used to doing, will fail.

APC called on all well-meaning Nigerians as well as Civil SocietyOrganisations to ensure that the circumstances surrounding thisscandal are unraveled in the interest of Nigeria and her people.

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APC condemns alleged bid to cover up $9.3m scandal

Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun | credits: File copy

The All Progressives Congress in Ogun State has described as a wishful- thinking the purported plot by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to defeat the incumbent governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, in the 2015 governorship election.

This is coming against the backdrop of a purported plan by both the Labour Party and the PDP in the state to merge in their bid to unseat Amosun.

President Goodluck Jonathan was reported to have endorsed a working arrangement between the PDP and the Labour Party, aimed at shoring up the chances of the former to produce the next governor of the state.

However, APC, in a statement made available by its state Publicity Secretary, Mr. Sola Lawal, scoffed at the plan, saying it would not succeed. He also described it as a joke.

According to him, existing chaotic internal dynamics within the two opposition parties would end up frustrating their plan.

He further noted that both the PDP and the LP had always worked together in the state, adding that such a gang up had never produced any worthwhile result for them.

He said, In 2011, all the present members of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party in Ogun State were all in the PDP with only a sprinkling of them in the PPN, yet the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, a precursor to the APC, trounced them.

He added, Without the executive power of government in its hands, the APC pummelled the combined forces of the opposition. Now consider how much easier it will be with the superlative performance of the Amosun administration to send them to their electoral grave.

The party likened the gang up against Amosun as an exercise in futility, which has already failed before being executed.

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Plot to unseat Amosun, a joke APC

Is investing in New York City a bad thing? Some progressives seem to think so: Theyre looking to tax it.

The left-leaning Fiscal Policy Institute and state Sen. Brad Hoylman are pushing a new tax aimed at foreigners who have the audacity to shell out big money on city apartments.

Under the plan, the city would levy a surcharge of between 0.5 percent and 4 percent on city co-ops and condos worth $5 million or more. The presumption is that most of these units are owned by foreigners and used as pieds--terre.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan) says he will introduce a pied--terre bill in the state Legislature soon. The tax is needed, he says, because foreigners arent paying income taxes but are nonetheless utilizing city services everything from our infrastructure to our police force.

Actually, if theyre not in the city using their apartments much, theyre not likely to be using many city services much, either.

So what this boils down to is out-of-town investors handing over money to the city, costing taxpayers little extra and still paying city property taxes. Why would anyone think these folks should pay more?

What Hoylman and the institute really want, of course, is the $665 million a year the tax is expected to raise from folks who dont vote here. But New Yorks sky-high taxes are already a disincentive to invest here. Adding a surcharge will only make matters worse.

Progressives dont understand that having investors spend money here boosting property values and the economy is good for the city. If they did, maybe theyd be calling for lower taxes for a change.

Continued here:
Another city property tax

The All Progressives Congress in Ogun State has described as wishful thinking the plot by the opposition to defeat it in the coming election.

This is coming against the background of a purported plan by both the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party in the state to merge to confront the ruling party.

President Jonathan was reported to have endorsed a work arrangement between PDP and LP aimed at shoring up the chances of the former to produce the next governor of the state.

However APC in a statement by its publicity secretary in the state, Mr Sola Lawal, dismissed the plot,saying it would not succeed.

According to the APC, existing chaotic internal dynamics within the two opposition parties would end up frustrating any effort at any such unholy gang up.

The party further stated that both PDP and LP had always worked together in the state adding that such scenario has never produced any worthwhile result for them.

He said, In 2011 all the present members of PDP and LP in Ogun State were all in PDP with only a sprinkling of them in PPN, yet defunct ACN, a precursor to APC, trounced them.

Without the executive power of government in its hands the APC pummelled the combined forces of the opposition.

Now consider how much easier it will be with the superlative performance of the Amosun administration to send the send them to their electoral grave.

The party likened the gang up against Amosun to that between the fraudster and the thief against the owner of the property.

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Plot to unseat Amosun, a joke -Ogun APC

The All Progressives Congress has strongly condemned theendorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole candidate ofthe PDP for next years presidential election, to the exclusion of allother candidates, calling the endorsement nothing but a mockery ofdemocracy.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Wednesday by its National PublicitySecretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also said the endorsementhas come at a great price to Nigerians, considering the obvious dealsthat were struck to make President Jonathan the sole PDP candidate.

It said the parody of democracy that the endorsement represents hasexposed the shameless hypocrisy of the PDP, which is ever so eager toaccuse other parties of lacking in internal democracy.

It said, Obviously, those fellows in the PDP have never heard of the sayingthat those who must come to equity must come with clean hands. PDP,where is your own internal democracy now that you have turned yourparty into a fiefdom controlled by one and only one person only?

While endorsements are part and parcel of democracy, they are neverdone to the exclusion of other candidates. This is simply notdemocratic. When then candidate Barrack Obama was endorsed by hispartys bigwigs to contest the US Presidency, the party never excludedHillary Clinton from its primaries. Thats how it is done.

The party said the price being paid for Jonathans endorsement byNigeria is simply too heavy, considering that the PDP Governors whospearheaded the endorsement have now secured perpetual immunity fromprosecution by anti-graft bodies, including the EFCC and the ICPC; theautomatic tickets for all first-term PDP Governors, whether or not they have performed, the automatic tickets for all PDP Governorsrunning for the Senate, as well as the free ride back to the UpperChamber for Senate President David Mark.

It is now an Open Sesame for the PDP Governors, who have no pryinganti-corruption agencies watching over their shoulders. They can nowsimply see the commonwealth as an extension of their deep pockets. Theendorsement is also a vote of approval for the proceeds of corruptionthat have been powering the noisy and outrageous Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria, it said.

APC accused President Jonathan of desecrating the countrys democracybecause of his desperation for re-election, adding: It is a cruelirony that a man who has benefited, more than anyone else, from thisdemocracy has been the one who has been doing everything possible toundermine it.

The party said President Jonathan has also abandoned domestic issueswhile seeking international relevance, in a clear negation of theaphorism that charity begins at home.

This President has basically abandoned governance. Unprecedentedcorruption is mounting, insecurity stalks the land and Nigerians gropein darkness as power generation has plummeted. This President has yetto tell Nigerians the full involvement of his government in the 9.3million dollars that was illegally ferried to South Africa on aprivate jet. This President has yet to tell Nigerians why he hascontinued to hobnob with an alleged sponsor of Boko Haram, who is supposed to be under a probe by his Administration. Yet, he is eagerto attend meetings with serious-minded leaders who have done well fortheir own people.

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Jonathans endorsement as sole candidate, mockery of democracy -APC