Northern Elders caution EFCC against being used to advance personal vendetta
…Kicks against move to revive charges against ex-Govs
The Northern Elders Progressive Forum and Northern Professionals have cautioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against being used as a tool to a dvance personal vendetta.
The Groups in a communique on Sunday sounded this warning over alleged moves to revive charges against some former Governors of Northern extraction using the anti graft agency.
While reading the communique of their 2-day meeting to journalists in Kaduna on Sunday, Yusuf Abubakar, Chairman of the Communique Drafting Committee, on behalf of the Northern Elders Progressive Forum and Northern Professionals, took exception to a recent newspaper’s publication titled “EFCC revives 13 ex-govs N772bn fraud cases,” saying “we think that certain groups of political class, because of vendetta or other reasons, are cheaply using some media platforms to drag the anti-graft agency’s image into disrepute to achieve cheap and unpopular political scores.”
According to the group, “While we commend the efforts of the new leadership of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under Mr. Ola Olukoyede in the fight against corruption, we have no doubts that the new EFCC boss will stick to the standard of the operation of the Commission.
“However, we are dismayed with the recent reports titled ‘EFCC revives 13 ex-govs N772 bn fraud cases’ in which it hurriedly published names of certain political leaders, and individuals with alleged accusations of amassing public wealth illegally without recourse to the due process and rule of law.“The hurried publication has now become a big embarrassment to them, their families, political associates, and our dear nation in the quest for objectivity, a presumption of innocence, emotional, and moral psyche.“We think that certain groups of the political class, because of vendetta or other reasons, are cheaply using some media platforms to drag the anti-graft agency’s image into disrepute to achieve cheap and unpopular political scores.
“Whilst appreciating EFCC’s highly motivated operations and effective fight against crime and corruption in the country so far, it is pertinent to note that, the new objectives assured by the leadership of EFCC in the fight against crime and corruption under President Ahmed Bola Tinubu are about to be eroded by certain selfish group of political individuals with access to media and investigation in the commission.
“The commission should not allow itself to become a tool of political vendetta, blackmail, or intimidation against any individual through personal grudges, persecution, and campaign of calumny to tarnish the image of certain personalities or any perceived political enemies of the characters hiding behind their executive power to unleash allegations through media for public consumption and sympathy,” the communique read.
