TheCable

A group known as the Initiative to Save Democracy has described the claim by Timi Frank, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, that N90 billion was used from the FIRS to prosecute the 2019 elections as untrue and misleading.

In a statement signed by its publicity secretary, Peter Oladele, the pro-democracy group stated that the statements issued Frank were blatant fake news and an abuse of the constitutional right to freedom of speech.

“The so-called activist wanted was to muddy clean waters with an absolute untruth from nowhere, and attempt to smear the names of good men,” he said.

“It is disheartening to see the very medium to inform and enlighten citizens being used as a tool for spreading rumours and propaganda.

“The recent statements by Comrade Timi Frank, making its runs on several media platforms, hauling unfathomable accusations at the vice president and the FIRS boss is one of such misuse of media.”

The group highlighted that reports by the FIRS already made clear that the agency had not received up to N100 billion per annum  as cost of collection from the federation accounts allocation committee (FAAC).

It said as a public institution, FIRS whose records are a matter of public, has made it clear that it is wrong to insinuate that the agency supported the APC, through giving N90 billion to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in the concluded elections.

“The FIRS is neither a money dispensing or electoral funding organisation, and like several other organizations, they have processes and structures before a single dime can be spent. The FIRS Budget and expenditure approval processes pass through the budget office and the ministry of finance, after which they are presented to the national assembly for appropriation into law,” the group said.

“The national assembly committees, consisting of all parties – whether PDP or APC – exercise oversight function on all agencies of the federal government to ensure agencies keep to the letters of the Appropriation Act.

“Thus FIRS’ operations are subjected to scrutiny and close monitoring by the national assembly, the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee and the Ministry of Finance. There is therefore no way such an amount as claimed by Timi Frank could have been expended without it being sighted by either of these institutions.”