Missing $20bn: I Didn’t Sign Report Absolving Diezani – Saraki

Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has debunked the report by an online website claiming that he signed the report absolving embattled former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke of missing $20 billion.

Speaking through Bankole Omisore, his Special Assistant on New Media, Saraki said the report published by Sahara Reporters was “false and malicious”.

Omisore said that he would have ignored the reports but for the fact that it smirked of malice while alleging that the medium thrived in publishing falsehoods against senator Saraki.

He stressed that Sahara Reporters in 2014 published a report that Saraki, who was then the deputy chairman of the Senate Finance Committee headed by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the caretaker Chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, did not sign the report.

“I read a write up on Sahara Reporters, titled “BEFORE SARAKI FORGETS” insinuating that Saraki as Vice Chairman to Senator Ahmed Makarfi on the Senate’s Finance Committee in 7th Senate connived with Mrs. Diezani and absolved her of all the alleged missing $20 billion.

“At first, I was going to ignore this false and malicious publication mainly because it is coming from a TABLOID that lacks credibility and known for ALWAYS attacking Saraki since he emerged Senate President to justify its paymasters.

“A quick search of the same TABLOID showed that in 2014, Sahara reporters carried a statement indicating CLEARLY that Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki did not sign the report,” he said.

He said that the 2014 report by the medium was clear and as such the sudden turnaround was misleading.

He insisted that Saraki was a member of the committee led by Ahmed Makarfi and participated actively in the committee work but did not sign the report as being alleged by the medium.

“Check out the story on saharareporters.com indicating back in 2014 that Senate President, Bukola Saraki did not sign the report exonerating Deiziani

Sahara Reporters cannot rewrite history by misleading Nigerians and it is about time sahara reporters stop blackmailing everyone that disagrees with their paymaster.

“I am Bamikole Omishore and no one can deceive me with blackmail,” he said.