Corruption: There will be no sacred cows under Atiku Presidency – PDP

ABUJA, Nigeria – The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) has said that its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, is set to fight corruption and create wealth for ordinary Nigerians, immediately he is elected into office as President.

The PPCO said if elected, Atiku Abubakar will, within the first 100 days in office, launch a comprehensive National Anti-Corruption Strategy that ensures that no body, no matter how highly placed, is spared as the strategy will be based on separation of powers, neutrality and non-partisanship.

“This will be a clear departure from President Muhammadu Buhari’s bogus anti-corruption fight, which serves only as a smokescreen for his cronies and relations to fritter trillions of naira from the public treasury, while hounding opposition members with trumped-up corruption charges”, the PPCO said in a statement by its Director of Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan.

The PPCO said the  Buhari Presidency has failed to secure any conviction in the fight against corruption because it is shielding corrupt persons, particularly close relations of Mr. President and indicted APC leaders, while Nigerians suffer hardship because of their atrocities.

“If Atiku Abubakar is elected President, it will no longer be ‘business as usual’ as his templates will directly restore the independence of all anti-corruption institutions as well as block all loop holes through which public funds can be siphoned.

“Within Atiku Abubakar’s first 100 days in office, decisive steps will be taken to ensure that all legislative instruments relating to whistle blower, witness protection, electronic evidence, cybercrime and assets forfeiture are expeditiously passed and that clauses that shield corruption in high places will be eliminated.

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“In the same vein, due process mechanism will be restored and as a complete departure from the past, the National Procurement Council will be inaugurated within the first 100 days in office in accordance with the provisions of the Bureau for Public Procurement, Act.This is in addition to an Open Governance Partnership Framework, which among other things, opens government businesses, including revenue generation and spending, to public tracking, monitoring and independent assessment”, he said.

According to him, Atiku Abubakar’s plans provides for the deployment of appropriate technology that supports the end-to-end operations of government businesses for transparency and elimination of sharp practices across all Ministries, Department and Agencies.

“The plan also provides for templates that guarantee speedy completion of pending corruption cases, ensuring that plea bargains are not abused and that enforcements of judgments on corruption are fully followed through. The PPCO recalls that Atiku Abubakar’s commitment to fight against corruption informed his pivotal role, as Vice President and head of the economic team, in the establishment, nurturing and initial funding of the EFCC.

“Noting that all the major high profile convictions secured by the EFCC are those initiated and tidied up by the PDP administration, when Atiku Abubakar was Vice President, the PPCO notes that President Buhari administration has compromised the system but assures that the PDP Candidate will restore genuine anti-corruption fight for the good of the nation”, he said.