The Leadership of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), under
Senator Ahmed Makarfi, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s fight against
corruption as nothing but noise orchestrated to kill democracy in the country.
The PDP also said that, through its previous governments, it
laid the foundation and commenced the real fight against corruption in Nigeria
through the creation and sustenance of all the anti-graft institutions
operating in the country today.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Party’s National
Caretaker Committee, Dayo Adeyeye, stated in Abuja while recounting some of the
failures of the APC led federal government in the past two years.
According to him, under the PDP administrations most of
those who were tried by the anti-graft agencies were PDP members; stressing
that the Party never made any effort to shield its members from prosecution and
investigation as is the case with the APC government.
He said that President Buhari’s ‘hype in corruption chase’
has left sour taste on the tongues of most Nigerians given the dishonesty and
charade that has characterized the actions of his government so far.
Adeyeye added that Nigerians and the international community
have lost confidence in INEC under the APC due to alleged loss of integrity and
independence it demonstrated in the conduct of gubernatorial elections in Edo,
Ondo and Bayelsa states and other subsequent elections.
The Party spokesman further said that the public will agree
that the PDP left a stronger Judiciary which the APC is discrediting with
impunity through the flouting of court orders at will.
He said: “Beginning with the issue of corruption in this
discussion is critical in line with the APC/President
Buhari’s ‘Change Agenda’
and ‘hype in corruption chase’ which has left sour taste given the dishonesty
and charade that has characterized the actions of this Government so far.
“For the record, ‘corruption’ is endemic in our system since
the Military era and using it to weep citizens’ sentiments is absurd while
playing ignorant of honest achievements made by PDP Governments to combat this
alarming menace.
“The Question is what has the APC done to fight corruption?
Nothing! Yes indeed nothing except noise, hounding, torturing, flouting of
court orders and vilification of opposition leaders and members in and out of
courts/incarcerations without proving anything; harassment, intimidation,
indiscriminate arrests and detention of Judges in order to cow them to
desecrate the Judiciary and deny the people justice; promote Gestapo State and
by extension, kill democracy.
“On the much celebrated anti-corruption fight of the APC
therefore, it must be noted that it was previous PDP governments that created
and sustained all the institutions for fighting corruption such as the EFCC and
the ICPC.
“Under the PDP administrations most of those who were tried
by these agencies were PDP members. The PDP never made any effort to shield PDP
members from prosecution and investigation as is the case with the APC
Government which has made it a policy to sweep all the dirt of its members
under the Carpet.
“Instead of entrenching transparency and accountability in
governance processes, the APC’s recent ‘Whistle Blowing Policy’ for instance,
appears to be a mockery of the System given the reprehensible and comic actions
so far under it by finding ‘orphaned monies’ in all nooks and cranny of the
Country by the EFCC.
“Electoral process – Nigerians and the international
community have lost confidence in INEC under the APC by not allowing it to
perform its statutory functions without interference as an unbiased Umpire but
instead, functions as its department which was evident in the negative Conduct
of Gubernatorial Elections in Edo, Ondo and Bayelsa states and other subsequent
elections where it demonstrated loss of integrity and independence.
“The Judiciary – We know that the public will agree with us
that that the PDP left a stronger Judiciary which the APC is discrediting with
impunity as it flouts court orders at will.”
By Chijioke Jannah
