The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately suspend the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru for awarding contracts worth $25 billion without following due process.

Dayo Adeyeye, the National Publicity Secretary of the party who stated this on Thursday at a press conference held at the party’s secretariat in Abuja also requested that Baru be handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commision (EFCC) for investigation and prosecution.

Adeyeye said the party was shocked with the revelations made by the Minister of  State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu in a leaked memo which he sent to President Muhammadu Buhari.

He added that it was really saddening and absurd to learn that the President had refused to speak on the matter since the Minister raised damning allegations in the memo which was delivered to him since August 30.

“The PDP wishes to express its shock at the loud silence of President Muhammadu Buhari on the humongous corruption scandal and other illegalities currently being exposed at the nation’s cash cow, the NNPC, in which two of his henchmen, Ibe Kachikwu and Maikanti Baru are the dramatis personae.

“As a political party, we expect that the President, who prides himself as an indefatigable corruption fighter would, for once, try to live above board, by genuinely allowing one of his own, accused of corruption, get properly investigated and prosecuted as a show of his impartiality in the war against corruption,” Adeyeye said.

He added: “We view the allegations leveled against Baru by Kachikwu as too grave to be swept under the carpet and we insist that the NNPC GMD must be treated like an accused person who should not have the opportunity to influence the investigation into his alleged misdeeds.

“In this light, we demand an immediate suspension of the NNPC GMD so that proper investigations can be carried out by the relevant anti-corruption agencies”.

He further said the party suspected that Buhari might be trying to shield Baru as he allegedly did for the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and expressed dismay over the current administration’s perceived double-faced fight against corruption.