President Muhammadu Buhari has come under attack for what has been alleged to be a lopsided anti-corruption crusade by his government.
According to the Voice of the South-South, a group loyal to the former president Goodluck Jonathan, there is a disparity in the on-going investigation into cases of corrupt practices against some political appointees under the last administration.
This was claimed in a statement issued yesterday, October 14, at the end of an emergency meeting presided over by the state chairman, Alex Dumbo and the chairman of the group’s Board of Trustees, Mike Ogiasa.
Following up with a protest letter sent to president, the group also stated that the cases of the former petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke and the late DSP, Alamieyeseigha have shown the bias of President Buhari in handling anti-corruption matters.
The statement reads: “First, we observed that immediately the past Minister of Petroleum Resources was purportedly arrested in London, the Department for Security Service (DSS) promptly invaded her home in Nigeria. Apart from Alison-Madueke, we are yet to see or hear the arrest of any of the rest 42 ministers who served in the immediate past administration.
“The second incident is the late Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha, who the APC-led Federal Government recently claimed the British Government has requested for his extradition to the United Kingdom (UK) in connection with a case for which he had been tried, convicted, served and later granted ‘presidential pardon’ in Nigeria. While we express strong rebuttal of the “Extradition Notice” by the British High Commission in Nigeria after the death of the Governor-General, we wonder from which office, other than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the purported extradition notice emanated from.
“What is the reaction of the APC-led Federal Government to this matter, now that the British High Commission in Nigeria has strongly refuted the claim? This approach by President Buhari, therefore, does not seem to depart from corruption itself because we believe that corruption cannot fight against corruption if our national life must improve. It is therefore our sincere advice that President Buhari should change his present style in the fight against corruption or stop the so-called fight against menace and come with feasible policies and programmes that will enhance the development of our dear country.
“President Buhari’s sincerity of purpose in the anti-corruption fight would be applauded if the President takes adequate positive steps to address the public outcry of corruption against some top allies who claimed they funded the All Progressives Congress (APC) to victory in the 2015 presidential election. We equally believe that President Buhari has what it takes to withstand the temptations of ethnic, religious, partisan and selfish consideration, which are capable of derailing the anti-corruption crusade if not resisted.”
However, reacting to the group’s allegations, Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has claimed that anti-graft war will reach all those involved in the corruption cases, adding that Muhammadu Buhari-led government will not spare any individual found guilty.
