Posted by By FEMI BABAFEMI on
Miffed by a report from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) indicting 27 of its candidates in the April elections, the Action Congress (AC) has asked the anti-fraud agency to go to hell.
•ANPP, PPA, others also react
Miffed by a report from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) indicting 27 of its candidates in the April elections, the Action Congress (AC) has asked the anti-fraud agency to go to hell.
The party described the EFCC report as a nullity and part of a grand design to stop its candidates from contesting the forthcoming elections.
The EFCC had, in a letter entitled: "Investigated, indicted candidates," advised the party not to field 27 of its candidates contesting for various offices in the April general elections.
Said EFCC, in the letter: "This list is graciously offered in the expectation that it will assist your internal party review process which is currently apace. This list is proposed in the hope that it will save your party of the untidy decision of having to, belatedly, field candidates midstream in the event of an unexpected disqualification."
While stressing that the EFCC report was unsolicited and a corrupt document fit for the pit of hell, the AC said it was designed to prevent Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his supporters from contesting the April polls.
"We reject this letter in its entirety because it is defamatory of the character of the people listed, means nothing in law, it is in bad faith, illegal and a reckless abuse of power. And by the way, the chief author of this defamation, Nuhu Ribadu, should expect a lot of legal activities soon as the innocent people he sought to malign make efforts to clear their good names," the party stated.
According to a statement by AC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the EFCC report "is wrong and raises a number of questions: When were these people investigated? Were they formally contacted and questioned by the so-called EFCC investigators? Were they given fair hearing? What are their offences? When were the offences committed?"
It alleged that the commission's move was "a pre-meditated act that fits into the desperate bid by President Olusegun Obasanjo to stop our presidential candidate, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, from contesting in April," adding: "Of course, his prominent supporters, including Lagos Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all others who fought against the evil third term plan are also automatic targets of a vindictive president, who has found in EFCC a willing tool of destruction. Including the names of the candidates of other political parties in the list is nothing but a smokescreen, since the real targets are our candidates, led by the VP."
According to the party, "the calibre of the people purportedly investigated and indicted in AC is the highest. While EFCC and its masters went for the very head of the AC, they managed to drag in only those who could pass for dregs in the other political parties. It is instructive that while the EFCC Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, had openly described the PDP gubernatorial candidate for Oyo State, Adebayo Alao-Akala as corrupt and unworthy of leadership, his name is conspicuously missing on this list.
"Thirdly, the timing of the letter is suspect. Were it not an after-thought and knee-jerk approach, such a piece of advice, though unsolicited, would have been made available to the parties before their primaries. Coming at this time, the EFCC letter is designed to cause chaos in the political process, thus truncating the elections and giving Obasanjo his much-sought-after tenure elongation on a platter of gold.
"Lastly, EFCC has again shown its now-routine disregard for the rule of law through this satanic list. While the commission is empowered to investigate, it has no powers to indict. That role is for the courts and properly established tribunals. The commission, like INEC, also lacks the powers to disqualify any candidate. Section 32 of the Electoral Act is clear on this. Therefore, EFCC cannot surreptitiously turn itself to the investigator, prosecutor, juror and the executor, just to satisfy the dangerous wish of a Presidency that has turned itself into a full-blown dictatorship.
"We in the AC have no scintilla of doubt that this latest act of the EFCC, which of course, is doing the bidding of President Obasanjo, is aimed at demoralizing our candidates and supporters ahead of the elections. It is particularly instructive that the letter was rushed out right after the hugely successful flag-off of our presidential campaign in Kano last weekend.
The mammoth crowd that came to support our candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is a testimony to his intimidating political profile and wide acceptance by the populace, in spite of all the lies the presidency has concocted against this gentleman. This is a cause for concern by those who have been gripped by the paranoia of an Atiku presidency. We have no apologies to offer for this.
"We know, at the same time, that their own electioneering has hit a snag, with the violence trailing it and the rejection of their deceitful manifesto by the people, some of whom have even hurled stones at them to register their anger that a party that has brought so much hardship and suffering in the past seven and half years could have the audacity to solicit for votes again.
"Placed side-by-side with the arm-twisting of the INEC by the presidency to disqualify our presidential candidate from contesting the election at all cost, it is now clear to all Nigerians that the presidency will stop at nothing to achieve its evil desire," the party said.
The AC called on its members, supporters and all Nigerians to be vigilant in the days and weeks ahead. Said AC: "They should disregard the antics of this desperate band of people, who will stop at nothing to destroy the democracy that we all fought hard for. Our people should also be ready to defend our democracy, imperfect as it is, at any cost because we believe there is no alternative to it.
"To the international community, we urge them not to fold their arms while one megalomaniac throws Africa's most populous nation into a crisis that has the capacity to destabilize the West Africa sub-region and the entire continent.
"And to those who will present themselves as willing tools in this evil plot to truncate our democracy, we say posterity will not forgive you and your family," the statement added.
Also reacting to the EFCC report, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) said it would not drop any of its candidates. The party has, however, constituted a probe panel to embark on independent investigation of its 35 governorship candidates and to determine their suitability to win elections in April.
Addressing journalists after a break during the party's stakeholders meeting in Asokoro, National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, said that ANPP could not substitute the indicted candidates on the basis of the EFCC report.
He explained that none of the people whose names were listed as corrupt could be adjudged corrupt by the EFCC until a court of competent jurisdiction declares them corrupt.
"Also the EFCC can't disqualify anybody. Only a court can do so," he said.
The Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) on Wednesday, also wrote the EFCC stating that its candidates listed by the commission have never been convicted by any court over any case of dishonesty or fraud
In the letter signed by Dr. Iboko Imo Iboko, national secretary and entitled: "Re: Investigated/indicted political candidates," the party said: "We wish to acknowledge the receipt of your letter dated 5th (February) on the above subject matter. Your letter contains a list of 10 PPA candidates who you have indicted and as such have advised the party not to field them in the 2007 elections.
"Admittedly, before fielding these candidates, we had embarked on a thorough screening exercise and as required by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we found that none of these people had ever been sentenced by a competent court of law or tribunal in Nigeria, imprisoned or fined, for an offence involving dishonesty or fraud. Indeed, within the last 10 years, none of them had been convicted and sentenced for an offence involving dishonesty and none had been found guilty of a contravention of the Code of Conduct.
"Sir, as you know, EFCC is not a court or a tribunal in Nigeria and these are the only institutions vested by the constitution of this country to convict and sentence under these circumstances.
"We can reconfirm to you that we still have not found any evidence that any of them had ever been convicted or sentenced by any court or tribunal of competent jurisdiction. In that case therefore, we are left with no other alternative than to go ahead and uphold them as the party's authentic candidates for those elections. To do otherwise will mean a flagrant, arbitrary and brazen use of power by the party authorities and an abuse of the constitution."
Also reacting to the EFCC report, Abia State government said that Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu is not corrupt.
A statement by Mr. Onuoha Udeala, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said: "Our attention has been drawn to the recent media report credited to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that the Abia State Governor and the presidential candidate of Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA), Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu was among politicians indicted by the commission on corrupt charges.
"The state government wants to state unequivocally that Governor Orji Uzor Kalu is not corrupt but is being persecuted for political reasons. Since the EFCC did not state the offence Governor Kalu committed to warrant his possible disqualification from the
presidential race, we look at it as another way to silence and distract the attention of the PPA presidential candidate from pursuing his presidential ambition.
"It is not enough to make a sweeping statement that a person is corrupt without substantiating such allegation with facts and figures. While we are not opposed to the use of the commission to fight corruption, but such exercise must be carried in such a way that credibility of the commission will not be questioned. We therefore challenge EFCC to give detailed information on Governor Kalu's alleged corrupt practices for Nigerians to see.
The question is, why is it that Governor Kalu and other progressive-minded Nigerians that fought tenure elongation of the president to standstill are alleged to be corrupt? This leaves nobody in doubt that prominent feature of the Federal Government's anti-corruption crusade is that it is deliberately targeted at perceived enemies and EFCC has been turned into an agent of vendetta and political suppression.
"On several occasions, the Abia State governor has challenged EFCC to publish any facts available to it about its spurious claims on him to no avail. From every reasonable watcher of EFCC activities against perceived opponents of the president in recent time,
it is not difficult to decipher that the commission is out to suppress, intimidate and silence the vocal voices opposed to the failed third term agenda.
"We appeal to Governor Kalu's teeming supporters all over the federation to discountenance the EFCC publication and work assiduously to ensure that their
presidential candidate emerges the country's next president this year. There is no doubt that the fear of impending defeat of PDP at the next general election is the centre of the present dust raised by EFCC. The game plan is to shut out Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu and others who are seen as an obstacle in the plan to perpetuate PDP rule. Governor Kalu's supporters as well as all progressive-minded Nigerians should oppose it. This is the time for the much wanted generational change.
Former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chris Ngige, on his part, said the inclusion of his name was a smear campaign aimed at tarnishing his image.
A statement by Mr. Fred Chukwuelobe, media consultant to Ngige, said: "Dr. Ngige is not surprised to learn that he was included in the controversial list and would have been surprised if his name was not in it in view of Mr. Andy Uba, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Anambra State, constant boasts that he (Dr. Ngige) would not be allowed back into the country to contest the governorship election in Anambra State in April and that even if he returned the EFCC would arrest and disqualify him.
"Dr. Ngige views his inclusion in the list as a smear campaign designed to tarnish his image and create an easy passage for Mr. Uba to get to Government House, Awka. Nevertheless, Dr. Ngige would soon, in the interest of Anambra people, return to the country to flag-off his campaign for the governorship election under the umbrella of Action Congress (AC). He has no problem with the EFCC and wishes the anti-graft body would carry out its responsibilities without pandering to the wishes of its master.
"Dr. Ngige feels it is laughable that in Anambra State, those who made the list among members of the State House of Assembly are those who opposed Mr. Uba's induced impeachment of Mr. Peter Obi and who refused to join his nocturnal meetings in Abuja."