By Our Reporter
ABUJA – President Muhammadu Buhari has welcomed Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, to his party, the All Progressives Congress less than twenty four hours after he was suspended by the Peoples Democratic Party for alleged anti-party activities.
While receiving him, the president said: “you are welcome to the progressives family.’’
Mr Nwaoboshi, formerly of the Peoples Democratic Party, represents Delta North District in the Senate. He was presented to President Buhari and the National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) at the State House by Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege.
Mr Omo-Agege said Mr Nwaoboshi’s decision to join the APC clearly shows that the effort of the CECPC was yielding fruit.
The senator was warmly welcomed by party members, presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu said in a statement.
Nwaoboshi enmeshed in NDDC scandal
Amidst the various allegations and counter allegations of fraud in the NDDC last year, the Niger Delta minister, Godswill Akpabio, in July, accused federal lawmakers of corruption and poor job delivery in the NDDC, saying that most of the commission’s contracts were executed by the lawmakers.
The NDDC had earlier in June last year accused Mr Nwaoboshi of using 11 companies as fronts to secure for himself a N3.6 billion contract in the commission. The contract was not executed and the money not refunded, the commission said.
The NDDC spokesperson, Charles Odili, had said the contract was the “biggest single case of looting of the Commission’s resources.”
Mr Nwaoboshi is the chairman of the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta and the NDDC and like other named lawmakers denied any wrongdoing. Nobody has been convicted for the various allegations of fraud in the NDDC and a government-ordered probe has not been concluded.
