STOP THIS ONE SIDED WAR AGAINST CORRUPTION, GROUP TELLS BUHARI

He rose to power on the mantra of fighting corruption holistically to a standstill but one and half year down the line, we have seen that he is a president who is determined, committed and his eyes fixated on fighting a one sided corruption

Emmanuel Ukudolo

Nigeria, Sep 28, 2016 – A group, called Association of Media Professionals Against Corruption and Instability on Tuesday staged a protest at the Federal High Court in Lagos during the trial of former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Waripamo-Owei Emmanuel Dudafa, Amajuoyi Azubuike Briggs and Adedamola Bolodeoku by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The group which stormed the Federal High Court with placards, bearing inscriptions such as “Be holistic in the war against corruption; stop this one-sided war against corruption”, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to live up to his campaign promises never to allow anybody with the slightest tinge of corruption in his cabinet.

They beseeched Buhari to extend the anti-corruption fight to Minister of Interior, Abdurahman Bello Danbazzau who has been accused of owning houses worth several billions of in Dubai and his Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari who is alleged to be using his office for self aggrandizement.

Speaking during the protest, President of the group, Mr. Igho Akeregha said the average Nigerian agreed that there is a need to fight corruption which he said explains the massive support for President Muhammadu Buhari during the 2015 election.

“He rose to power on the mantra of fighting corruption holistically to a standstill but one and half year down the line, we have seen that he is a president who is determined, committed and his eyes fixated on fighting a one sided corruption.

“That is what we are against as Nigerian citizens and as civil society organisation, that is why some people have been arraigned today we even understand that the case of the former first lady will be coming up today through prosy, Dudafa and others. They are using legal means to harass and implicate the first lady. We believe that everybody including all former first ladies whom the government and EFFCC believe have stolen money should face trial but we are against picking one person to say this is the person that should fact trial while every other person is exempted”, he said, adding that the war against corruption is one sided, because those on corruption charges are only people around the former president and PDP.

“Are we saying that the people in APC are saints? Every Nigerian knows that many of the governors who were in PDP who defected to APC also fleece their state of humongous resources, many of them are lining behind Buhari today. Does that make them saints? Does the President have the right to expropriate them from corruption? That is what we are against.

Today the EFCC is fighting Patience Jonathan for corruption. Are we saying that the late wife of former President Obasanjo is a saint, that the wife of late Yar’ Adua is a saint, that the wife of Babangida is a saint or that the wife of Gowon is a saint? What about his own wife, are we saying that Aisha Buhari who somebody recently procured $400, 000 worth hand bag for is a saint? Nigerians are not fools; we know where the money is going to. Now money has been recovered, the president promised to publish a detailed list of those who looted Nigeria, up till today, no list was published because when the list was shown to him, he discovered that many of his ministers, many of his advisers, many of the people around him are also involved largely in looting Nigeria.

“Today they are talking of selling the assets of Nigeria to placate these neoliberal elements who have stolen Nigeria dry. These people protesting are common citizens of Nigeria, that is why we have marched out. Many of them here are graduates, they have no job and you want to sell Nigeria and hand it over to the pro-capitalist elements with Buhari.

“So, we are saying no to that. This whole fight against corruption fight is a media trial, people have been labeled, slammed with corruption charges when the government knows that there is no substantial issue against them.

“Even in the United states today, in the UK, people are facing corruption, they are tried quietly and jailed, but the President goes around the whole world telling the whole world that every Nigerian is a thief except himself. So people have asked him, if we invest in your country are you going to be the managing director of the multinational we are bringing because every other Nigerian is a thief, you are the only saint.

“Will you now resign from the Presidency and manage our resources, the president could not answer. This is why we are not getting investment in Nigeria. The president must change his approach to fighting this corruption, he must make it holistic, Danbazzau, Amaechi, must face trial that is why we are here today”, he said.

Buttressing the argument, Executive Director, Integrity Group, Mr. Livingstone Weche said what the EFCC is doing is nothing but a witch-hunt of Patience Jonathan.

“ It has become clear today that the Muhammadu Buhari led administration is clearly on a witch-hunt and blackmail against the former first lady”, he said adding that media reports have been made to the effect that Patience Jonathan laid claim to funds in certain accounts.

EFCC remains challenged to the strictest proof to the evidence linking Patience Jonathan to money laundering and that it has only resorted to media campaign and blackmail, misleading the whole world and misleading the unsuspecting public in trying to bring down the international rising profile of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

“The action of the EFCC is nothing less than a plot to systematically seize every assets belonging to Goodluck Jonathan and that is why everybody that has been facing trial are only former aides to Goodluck Jonathan and were are worried that the EFCC is on a mission to use elements from the north to impoverish, blackmail and witch-hunt the southern elites, and that is the attitude of the born to rule conception and we are insisting here that we support Buhari in the war against corruption only if he maintains a fair and just posture but the current lopsided disposition of Buhari in the fight against corruption is very curious.

“Some days ago, Buhari in addressing the international community stated that those who started avengers are those who looted Nigeria. And we want to remind him that part of those people are in his government. Part of them is Amaechi who was alleged to have stolen more than N70 billion of Rivers money. Danbazzau was involved in armed procurement fraud, the current Buhari Chief of Staff has been accused of collecting N500 million bribe from MTN to reduce their fine, Miriam Abacha has reportedly built Marian Abacha University, former head of states and president have been accused of embezzling Nigeria’s money including the current, President. So if change begins with Muhammadu Buhari, stop the campaign of calumny against Jonathan, stop the media trial of patience Jonathan and Goodluck Jonathan. Allow Goodluck Jonathan and his family to rest. He has paid enough prize for this country, he gave up a course that he has grounds to challenge but to save Nigeria from bloodbath, he gave it up, they should allow Jonathan and his family to rest.

“ Buhari must go after every former leader or else this fight against corruption remains a façade and charade. We will stand and say no to this one sided corruption struggle, it must not be that anyone who enters APC becomes a beatified saint.

“They must go further and ensure that he lives by the promise he made during his campaign that nobody with corruption stigma will find a place in his cabinet. We are holding him to task, we respect his office, we do not doubt his capacity to do the right thing. He must not allow vultures to hijack the presidency and use the institution of states to harass Nigerians and that is why investors are running away and that is why we are saying that Larmode and Magu must be probed for alleged loot of recovered loot because the government has refused to account for recovered loot.

Every Nigerian knows that many of the governors who were in PDP who defected to APC also fleece their state of humongous resources, many of them are lining behind Buhari today

“Leave Patience and Jonathan alone. You cannot bring down Jonathan. The Niger Delta may suffer unrest and that is not our desire, do the just thing, leave Jonathan and his family alone. If you want to hold them, hold everybody who has been accused of corruption, or else we resist this fight, it is not correct. It is false”, he said.