‘We Won’t Punish Dogara, Jibrin, Others For Budget Padding’— APC Affirms

The national leadership of the APC has ruled out the possibility of punishing members of the party allegedly involved in the padding of the 2016 budget.

The APC Deputy National Chairman (North), Lawal Shuaibu, while addressing journalists at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, said although the party would not sweep the scandal under the carpet, it would not make details of its investigations into the matter open to the public.

He said even though the constitution of the APC empowered the party to take certain steps on its members and their activities, the party lacked the powers to sanction them for offences.

Shuaibu said, “Article 7 Sub-section 5 of the APC (Constitution) gives us the power to do certain things. You see, we are doing the right thing, but only that we don’t want to make it public.

“What is padding? The party does not sanction anybody for that. What concerns us is where any member contravenes (the) party’s constitution in his conduct. That is why I referred you to Article 7 Sub-section 5 of our party’s constitution.

“We are not a law enforcement agency; we don’t enforce the law. We only ensure that the constitution is complied with. Any member of the party is answerable to the party and answerable to their constituency.”

The APC chief stated that the leadership of the party intervened in the crisis because those involved were its members.

“The two members (Dogara and Jibrin) that are at the centre of the issue are elected members of the party. So, you expect the party to sit down and watch? No, we have to do our work.

“The issue of us sweeping anything under the carpet does not arise at all. But we won’t intervene in the market place, but in the party secretariat.”

Shuaibu also disowned the Chairman of the APC in Kano State, who criticised the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said, “That man who claimed to be our chairman in Kano is unknown to us as a party.

“That person who made that statement is not our member. We don’t even know him.”