Senate responds to corruption allegations by Fmr Pres. Obasanjo, says “The allegation is spurious...very distant from the truth and is nowhere near reality,”

The senate has replied to the extensive corruption allegations leveled against it by the former Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo  at a book launch in Abuja yesterday. In a statement released and signed by its spokesman, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, the senate frowned at the furious outburst by Chief Obasanjo that they used their oversight function to extort money, (read here) stating that the oversight functions of the senate was the initiative of the former president. The statement reads:

“The allegation as spurious as it were. Its very distant from the truth and is nowhere near reality,” 

“Ex President Obasanjo for the avoidance of doubt, was the initiator of the constituency project in the year 2000 as a means of ensuring that projects were fairly spread across the country using the Senatorial zones as the spring board."

“To ensure execution of the projects, President Obasanjo again factored the constituency projects into the annual budgets to be implemented by the executive depending on availability of funds. That is to say that no lawmaker ever comes close to the funds or even determine the contractor for the said projects or when the said contract would be awarded. Chief Obasanjo would turn around after over 10 years of initiating such a project to accuse the National Assembly of misusing such money.

“Such allegation stands logic on its head, as it amounts to an indictment of the Presidency for willfully contravening the budget laws by ceding its power to execute to the National Assembly, if it was the case. It will also help to clear the allegation once and for all, if any presidency official not only from the time past but currently, could come forward and explain the true position of the so called constituency projects. Doing so would at least set the records straight.”