Buhari didn’t steal PTF fund, says Obasanjo

Almost 16 years after leaving the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) as the Chairman, former Head of State and presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, was on Tuesday cleared of any act of misconduct.
Buhari served as the PTF chairman, a body created by the General Sani Abacha regime and funded from the revenue generated by the increase in price of petroleum products to pursue developmental projects around the country.
In the build up to the February 14 presidential election, the Daura, Katsina-born politician has been criticised over his management of PTF finances.
But on Tuesday, one of Buhari’s predecessors and successors in office, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said Buhari never stole PTF money.
Obasanjo was Head of State between 1976 and 1979 when he made Buhari Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources and Governor of North-Eastern State.
When Obasanjo returned as a civilian president, Buhari contested against him during the April, 2003 presidential election and also contested against Obasanjo’s candidate, the late Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, in 2007.
He repeated the same feat against President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011.
Obasanjo yesterday when Buhari, his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osibajo, and other APC chiefs visited him at his Abeokuta, Ogun State residence.
The APC leaders were in Abeokuta for their presidential campaign.
Obasanjo said: “Buhari‎ never soiled his hands when he served as the Executive Chairman of PTF. The investigation conducted by my administration never found him wanting. Critics of Buhari should focus on issues, rather than attacking him. When you (Buhari) were going to become manager of PTF, we talked about it and when you finished and I took over, we looked into it. I haven’t said this publicly, I would say it publicly now. When we looked into it, there was really nothing amiss, except that that organisation went from road building to mosquito net buying and all sort of things.
“And what the investigation discovered is a bit of inconsistencies in prices and all that. In one area, mosquito net might have been given for N50; in another, N45. And then somebody remarked that this is fishy, we should look into it.
“And I called my brother and colleague (Buhari); I said this and he said ‘Look, we were managing billions of Naira and I tried to make sure I see everything. But I will not say that what they have said about this is correct or not correct. But I can assure you I tried to see everything.’ I said okay, ‘Muhammadu, between me, you and God, was there any personal benefit for you?’ And you said no. I said that is the end of the matter!
“Although there was that investigation, its report was not of any material importance.‎ I thought that I should say it today that I have this opportunity because I hope people will face issues rather than trivialities. I wish you well in your presidential ambition”.
In his response, Buhari said: “The APC is interested in breaking the vicious circle of insecurity, economic downturn and corruption. I will not run an inflexible ‎government but would be dynamic in my disposition to governance. I have come here to convince you that APC would do better ‎if voted into power in the February 14 presidential election.
“We have been going around three fundamental issues: security, economy, corruption. This vicious circle is what the APC is determined to break. Because without security, there is no way the country can settle down, not to talk of living in it”.