The major opposition party in the country, the Peoples Democratic Party, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to relinquish his position as the Minister of Petroleum Resources.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, who made the call in a statement on Wednesday also called for the removal of the Minister of State for Petroleum Redources. Chief Timipre Sylva.
Ologunagba urged the President to allow competent professional to run the critical ministry to ensure restoration of sanity in the sector.
He accused the Sylvia of refusing to disclose of the identities of those behind the importation of adulterated furl into the country which is at the root of the current scarcity.
“The failure by the APC administration to set up an Independent Commission of Enquiry on the “APC Toxic Fuel ImportGate”, especially to ascertain the individuals involved in the deal, who undertook the pre-inspection and how much was paid for very cheap contaminated fuel, is fast putting the nation on edge.
“The only way to douse the tension is for the APC administration to heed to demands by Nigerians and expose APC leaders allegedly involved in the importation of the toxic fuel; get them to pay compensation particularly to those whose vehicles and equipment were damaged by the bad fuel as well as bear the cost of the said cleanup.
“The PDP, therefore, calls for the immediate sack of the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva for misleading Nigerians and concealing critical information at the onset of this “APC Toxic Fuel ImportGate” saga, having refused and failed as a public official with duty to Nigerians when he said on national TV that he cannot name persons involved in the fraud.
“The PDP also demands that having woefully failed, President Buhari should hands-off responsibilities as Minister of Petroleum Resources and allow competent professionals to man the ministry in order to restore sanity in the system.
“This is because the headship of the petroleum ministry as presently constituted is peopled with persons with no relevant education, experience, and expertise to manage this critical sector that accounts for over 90 percent of the revenue of the nation.”
He alleged that the APC was trying to withdraw N201 billion ostensibly to clean up the adulterated fuel just to siphon more funds.
