Abuja — The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thursday said that the delay by the federal government to arraign the suspended Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, on allegations of fraud has raised public apprehensions over the integrity of the fight against corruption in Nigeria.
The PDP warned that sweeping the fraud allegations against Magu under the carpet as would be a disservice to the anti-graft war. It reminded President Mohammadu Buhari that the world is watching as the allegations against Magu has become a public knowledge.
A statement that was issued by the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said that any delay to would prosecute the Magu heighten suspicion in the public space over an alleged attempt to give him a soft landing in order to cover up for certain top officials of the Buhari’s administration and some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that were alleged to have been indicted by the suspended EFCC chairman, in the course of his investigation by the Presidential Panel.
The PDP’s position, according to Ologbondiyan, is predicated on the conflicting reports on the status of the processes related to Magu’s on-going investigations and the direction of the federal government on the matter.
He said: “Our party holds that where there are no undesirable underhand dealings, any government that is committed to the fight against corruption, in such a manner that the Buhari’s Presidency wants the world to believe it does, should have since perfected its processes and arraign the suspended EFCC’s acting chairman in court, particularly with the weight of allegations and revelations unearthed at the Presidential panel.”
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The PDP said that the expectations of Nigerians is for the federal government to arraign Magu without further delay before a court of competent jurisdiction and prosecute him in line with the dictates of Nigeria ‘s laws.
The opposition party said that Nigerians are apprehensive that the EFCC investigation might go the way of the alleged treasury looting in the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS), the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) among others that saw indicted official receiving a pat on the back without being prosecuted.
“Our party charges the Buhari’s presidency to note that the world is watching the handling of the EFCC fraud case with keen interest. The federal government should therefore take immediate steps to arraign Magu and all those indicted in the matter before a court of competent jurisdiction without any further delay,” Ologbondiyan said.
Source: allafrica.com
