Ekiti State Governor and Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) Governors Forum, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has written to the Acting President,
Prof Yemi Osinbajo, demanding the immediate release of the report of the
investigative panel on corruption allegations against suspended Secretary to
the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr David Babachir Lawal and
Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Ayo Oke.
In the letter dated July 11, 2017 and received at the Acting
President’s office on July 13, 2017, the governor also demanded that the Acting
President must “act expeditiously on the report”, threatening to approach the
law court to compel the Acting President to release and act on the report if he
fails to do so.
Special Assistant to the governor on Public Communications
and New Media, Lere Olayinka said in a statement issued on Sunday, said that
Governor Fayose told the Acting President “never to habour the view that the
matter can swept under the carpet,” saying the government’s war against
corruption lacked credibility and had, thus floundered because of the government perceived penchant for sweeping allegations of
corruption against top functionaries of the federal government and members of
the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
“I dare to say that this is one of the reasons the so-called
war against corruption has not attracted public support. It lacks credibility
and has, thus floundered. It is also the reason your administration has lost
case after case in the court of law, even though administration officials have
tried to cover government’s Achilles heel as well as their own howling
incompetence under the pretence of corruption fighting back,” the governor
said.
The letter reads in part: “In this wise, permit me, Your
Excellency, to prod your memory about a Presidential committee constituted
months ago by President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate allegations of high
corruption against two top officials of this administration, namely the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. David Babachir Lawal; and
the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mr. Ayo Oke.
The Presidential committee, headed by your good self, was
given two weeks to submit its report. That was many months ago. The two top
officials concerned were placed on suspension but nothing has been heard on the
matter ever since. It would appear the matter has been swept under the carpet
or, in the Nigerian popular parlance, has been treated as the “family affair”
of the ruling APC government.
“It will be most unfortunate indeed if this, truly, is the
case. For one, the appropriate response to the very serious issue of corruption
against the suspended SGF and the NIA DG should not have been the setting up of
a committee to investigate; rather, both men should have been handed over the
two men to the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) for investigation and arraignment in a court of competent
jurisdiction. Your Excellency will agree with me that this has always been this
government’s recourse when alleged corruption cases involve members of the
opposition PDP; estranged members of the ruling party. In fact, PDP members and
non-members of the ruling APC alleged to be corrupt, such as judges, are first
harassed, haunted, hounded, arrested and locked up, tried and convicted in the
media and visited with public lynching while the Department of State Service
(DSS) and the EFCC take their time to search for or conjure evidence against
them.
“The preferential treatment given to the two top-notch
members of your government is bad enough – and they are the only members of the
ruling party that have got this slap-on-the-wrist treatment. So reckless and
audacious had your government become in this regard that a serving Senator who
is a member of your party said on the floor of the Senate that your government
uses insecticides when dealing with alleged cases of corruption involving
members of the opposition but applies deodorant when members of the ruling
party are involved. I dare to say that this is one of the reasons the so-called
war against corruption has not attracted public support. It lacks credibility
and has, thus
floundered. It is also the reason your administration has lost case after case
in the court of law, even though administration officials have tried to cover
government’s Achilles heel as well as their own howling incompetence under the
pretence of corruption fighting back.
“Were President Buhari to be around, this issue would not
have been any of your bother. All that would have been required of you would be
to turn in your report within the stipulated time and the ball would then have
been squarely in the president’s court. Fortunately and unfortunately,
President Buhari has been away on medical tourism for most part of this year
and as the Acting President, the buck now stops on your desk. Your Excellency,
Nigerians demand two actions from you:
First is that you release the report of the corruption
investigation, which you presided over. Secondly is that you act expeditiously
on the report. May I advise, Your Excellency, that you should never habour the
view that this matter can swept under the carpet for two reasons. One is that
Nigerians are not unmindful of the outcome of your investigation even if it has
not been officially released. Two is that should you fail to release the report
and act on it, I shall approach the law court to compel you to do so.
“Your Excellency, as a Law professor and Senior Advocate of
Nigeria, Your Excellency must not be associated with illegalities and
cover-ups; not to talk of your highly exalted position as a man of God who must
speak truth at all times and uphold the Biblical admonition to let justice flow
like the mighty river. I have refused to agree with those who, on account of
your egregious stance on the EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu’s continued but illegal
stay in office; posit that the hood does not make the monk and a chain of
titles and degrees does not translate to sound judgment. Kindly take up the
challenge to prove those doubting Thomases wrong.
“Your Excellency, because our dear country, Nigeria, is the
concern of all of its 170 million citizens as well as for the benefit of our
friends the world over, permit me to make copies of this letter available to
the media and other interested persons and organisations locally and
internationally.”
By Emmanuel Ani
