The All Progressives Congress (APC) has appealed to the Federal Government to withhold a N7billion Value Added Tax (VAT) refund to the Bayelsa State Government for people’s sake.
The party, in a statement issued by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, said the appeal became necessary because of fears that the Governor Seriake Dickson administration might be targeting the fund to use for buying votes during the coming governorship election.
The statement urged the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, to delay approval of a N7 billion VAT refund to the Bayelsa State Government until after the conduct of the November 16 governorship poll.
APC believed that should the money be released to the outgoing government, it would not serve the purpose it was meant for.
“There is a N7billion VAT refund to Bayelsa State awaiting the Finance Minister’s approval. Governor Dickson has committed to a commercial bank to give him the N7 billion, with an agreement that the ministry will pay the money to them.
“The minister is advised not to approve the VAT refund until after the governorship election. Governor Dickson has recently been in the news on account of several schemes to raise money through diversion of state funds to fund the election of his stooge and Bayelsa governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“Coupled with the fact that Bayelsans are still smarting from the exposed plan of Governor Dickson to sell off an oil field, Atala Marginal Field (OML 46), belonging to the state, months to his handover.
“Governor Dickson must be stopped from achieving his selfish and desperate plan to buy votes, using the state funds and rigging the election in favour of his unpopular candidate,” the statement said.
