Following president-elect Bola Tinubu’s declaration that his administration will make corruption less attractive, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has told him that he cannot speak on the issue.
A statement from Tinubu’s camp after his commissioning of some judiciary projects in Rivers State, had quoted him saying: “You don’t expect your judges to live in squalor, to operate in squalor and dispense justice in squalor. This is part of the changes that are necessary. We must fight corruption, but we must definitely look at the other side of the coin.
“If you don’t want your judges to be corrupt you got to pay attention to their welfare. You don’t want them to operate in hazardous conditions.” Tinubu commended Wike for his foresight in providing judges and magistrates the best working and living conditions. He noted that with such provision, the governor had shown sufficient support for the fight against corruption, particularly, in the judiciary.”
But speaking at a press conference at the national secretariat of the PDP in Abuja on Friday, the National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the party and indeed all sensible Nigerians are alarmed, scandalized and embarrassed by Tinubu’s statement.
According to him, “This statement by Senator Tinubu is completely sacrilegious and an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians, having regards to his records of alleged corruption and having been described variously as an embodiment of corruption in his public life.”
He alleged that it is in the public domain that as Governor of Lagos State, Senator Tinubu promoted and institutionalized corruption as an act of governance.
The PDP spokesman added: “It is on record that Senator Tinubu is alleged to be deeply involved in the infamous cases involving Alpha Beta Consulting Limited and Alpha Beta LLP, allegedly owned and controlled by him and through which over N100 billion belonging to Lagos State was reportedly stolen through shady tax collection deals.
“It is also public knowledge that there has been numerous allegations and evidence of corruption and complicity by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the declaration of Senator Tinubu as winner of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election. Today Nigerians and indeed the world believe that that declaration was a product of corruption of the Process, Institutions and the Law by the APC and its Presidential candidate.
“It is therefore ludicrous that an individual who has been widely alleged to be an enabler and beneficiary of corruption can attempt to put himself forward to Nigerians as a champion of anti-corruption. Of course, corruption cannot fight corruption!
“If indeed Senator Tinubu is desirous of fighting corruption, the starting point should be that he publicly and personally address Nigerians on the numerous allegations of corruption, including the Alpha Beta cases and alleged improper acquisition and conversion of Lagos State Government landed properties worth billions of naira to himself, family, associates and cronies.
“Clearly, Senator Tinubu’s pontification or claims on corruption is a further attempt to corrupt, cultivate, patronize, lure and compromise the Judiciary ahead of the commencement of the hearing of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Monday, May 8, 2023 and nothing more.”
The PDP therefore called on the judiciary to be wary of attempts by the APC and the president-elect to patronize them in the course of the discharge of their Constitutional duties as impartial arbiter, particularly in the pending Petition before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.
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