Buhari should probe Jonathan over arms deal – Gulak

Former President Goodluck Jonathan cannot escape liability for the looting of over $2 billion arms procurement fund, his ex-political adviser, Ahmed Gulak, has said.

Speaking to journalists in Abuja yesterday, Gulak said as the chief executive officer of the country at the time, Jonathan must be bound by every act of his officials whether he was aware of what they were doing or not.

According to him, the former president is vicariously liable for the looting of the arms purchase fund because the buck stops at his table.

Gulak also stated that Jonathan was misled, cajoled, messed up and put in complete darkness by a cabal in his government “as far as the political process was concerned then.”

“The revelation coming out (of the arms deal) was because there was no political experience. It was arrogance and impunity then. Jonathan did his best, but unfortunately, he cannot escape liability because the buck stops at his table. They misled him, they blackmailed him, they cajoled him and they put him in complete darkness as far as the political process was concerned then.

“Because he was the president and chief executive officer of the country, every act of his agents and officials, he must be bound by it whether he was aware of what they were doing or not. He is vicariously liable,” Gulak said.

“We have seen the approvals by Mr President ( Jonathan) for the purchase of arms and ammunition. The approval was clear, but we got to know that the purpose for which that approval was thereafter made was not in accordance with the approval. Although he ( Jonathan) may be held vicariously liable, he was oblivious of what the cabal was doing. They were not with him, they were not working for his re-election, they were only working for their pockets,” he said.

The former presidential political adviser also stated that the arms purchase scam must be probed.

“The probe must be done. It is not about PDP or APC. It is not about partisan politics. It is about Nigeria. How can I just transfer $1.2 billion to somebody’s account in the name of prayers? Did Goodluck Jonathan know all this? I don’t believe so,” he said.

Gulak also said the sack of Uche Secondus as acting chairman of PDP will end the crisis in the party.

He said Secondus was occupying the party’s chairmanship seat illegally, noting that he was from Rivers State not a North-east to which the PDP had zoned the position.

“The judgment was that Secondus should give way to somebody from the Northeast who will begin to rebuild this party, somebody who has integrity,” he said.

Gulak also stated that a challenge before the PDP was that the party could not be rebuilt without cleansing it from within.