The Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory, Senator Dino Melaye, on Thursday alleged that it was former President Olusegun Obasanjo that exposed the federal lawmakers to corruption during his tenure.
Melaye, in a statement issued in Abuja as a response to Obasanjo’s latest letter to the federal parliamentarians, also accused the retired General of misplacing his anger on the current members of the National Assembly.
Melaye said he had expected Obasanjo to have forgiven members of the Fourth National Assembly, who allegedly refused to impeach Speaker Umar Ghali Na’Abba, despite an alleged huge financial inducement.
The statement partly read, “I have tremendous respect for President Olusegun Aremu Okikiola Obasanjo, elder statesman, respected pan-Africanist and committed patriot.
“I went through the letter written to all senators and members of the House of Representatives.
“The letter, as I can see it, is a misplacement of anger. Our leader has mistaken the 8th National Assembly as the same National Assembly that defrauded him in 2007; that is those who collected his money and refused to implement the third term agenda.
“I appeal to Baba that we are not the ones please. After nine years of that bribery saga, the first of its kind, I expect forgiveness to have taken place.
“There was the case of bribery introduced by the Obasanjo regime in the desperate attempt to remove Speaker Ghali Umar Na’Abba from office then.
“In fact, there was an open display of that bribery money on the floor of the House.
“That (Obasanjo’s) government exposed the National Assembly to corruption and easy money.
“ I hope this is not in an attempt to cover up and distract attention from the Halliburton and Siemens corruption allegations? While I am against corruption anywhere in Nigeria, I will not support accusations based on anger and vindictiveness.
“The 8th Senate should also look inward and purge itself of all the deliberate misgivings of the past.
“Nigeria must work and we must support the anti-corruption stand of the Buhari Administration. God bless Nigeria.”
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