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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