Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has denied any link with suspected cyber crime criminal, Ramon Abbas popularly known as Hushpuppi.
He described the allegation of the All Progressives Congress(APC) linking him with Hushpuppi as irresponsible and reckless cheap politics.
Hushpuppi was recently arrested in Dubai and extradited to the United States over alleged involvement in money-laundering and cyber crimes.
The APC, in a statement on Saturday, accused Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Former Speaker Yabuku Dogara, Saraki and Senator Dino Melaye of having ties with the suspected cyber criminal.
Saraki, in a statement in Abuja by his media aide, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said he has no form of association with Hushpuppi and neither does he know him in any way.
He said: “The statement credited to the APC, the ruling party in our country, is one of the ways by which our anti-graft agencies are weakened and why the fight against corruption in the country is often viewed with suspicion by the international community.
“This is because when these cyber-crime suspects were operating freely and openly displaying wealth, the APC saw nothing bad in their activities.
“Also, the party at that time did not deem it necessary to call on the anti-graft agencies to investigate their activities.
“Also, since the arrest of those cyber crime suspects and the subsequent damage to the image and the economy of Nigeria as well as the crisis it created for Nigerians engaged in lawful businesses across the world, the ruling party had been muted.
“The only time the APC deemed it necessary to make a statement was when it thought it should play dirty, cheap and irresponsible politics.
“Dr. Saraki was the only political leader who has publicly made a statement through an Op-Ed article published in the Daily Trust newspaper of July 1, 2020 titled “Cyber Criminals: Confronting The Few Who Dent Many” and this opinion article had been widely circulated online and on other platforms.
“In that article, he strongly condemned the activities of these cyber criminals and called on the law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders to make decisive interventions to checkmate their activities.
“He has also got a research institution, the Politeia Institute, whose board he chairs to commence a research on the best ways to tackle the menace.
“Such a noble intervention in tackling a menace is what Dr. Saraki believes in, not mudslinging and playing politics at the expense of the nation’s image.
“At this point, we call on the APC leadership to rein in the so-called Yekini Nabena and compel him to desist from making and circulating such malicious, odious and offensive claims.”

By Sanni Onogu