EFCC; The tool for Anti-Corruption, Anti-Buhari Or Vengeance?
APC, upon declaring Buhari as its presidential flag bearer in December 2014,we all agitated to give him the full support come the 2015 election.
Time didn't take too slow and we matched to our various polling boots and casted our votes which saw to the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the presidential election and the whole of Nigeria was in new shade and the heaven and land of Nigeria was rejoicing. We all nursed the hope that the era has come when we shall have an accountable government which will see to the end of the bad worms profligating our resources to their personal advantage.
What arose our hope the more was the notable statement you made that "I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody". I heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this that this is the beginning of the end of 'god-fatherism' and 'I am untouchable' scenario in our political affairs.
However contrary to the expectation of Nigerians, Buhari has been more involved in vengeance than fighting corruption. The arrest of Sambo Dasuki by the DSS on July 17th 2015,a Muslim festival day for that matter, obviously was a retaliation on how Dasuki dealt with him on a similar day on the 26th of August 1985 on the order of Ibrahim Babangida. How the corruption trial of Dasuki unfold is still unclear to the masses as we are only being fed with unreliable news everyday.And I start to wonder if Buhari has forgotten so early what he said in his inaugural speech that "A few people have privately voiced fears that on coming back to office I shall go after them. These fears are groundless. There will be no paying off old scores. The past is prologue". Has he really make the past a prologue?
Of course the tension was eased a bit when EFCC began to trial Senate President Bukola Saraki . We all feel EFCC was doing its job fearlessly without minding to whose or what political affiliation everyone on its list belong. But critically looking at the situation as it unfolded I likened it to a persecution of a man who has gone beyond the party's might to stand against the wish of Tinubu(the mastermind of Buhari's victory) to steal the control of the senate presidency. An average Nigerian who know less about this would have appraised Buhari for empowering EFCC so much to fight a sitting senate president but as time will tell, Tinubu had it tough with Buhari on appointments and then EFCC relented on Saraki's case.
I could recall, Buhari had spoken in Hausa in his campaign speech at Kaduna during the zonal rally held at the International Trade Fair that “On the issue of past corrupt leaders facing trials in various courts across the country, I would allow the courts to decide on those cases, but whoever that is indicted of corruption between 1999 to the time of swearing-in, would be pardoned. I am going to draw a line, anybody who involved himself in corruption after I assume office, will face the music.” The only explanation I can ascribe to this is that he intend to free everyone who was in power before him, on the basis that new attorney General of the federation willl be appointed and new EFCC chairman as well which would mar the traces of cases against these dubious people. I couldn't attach any inference to this than Buhari is only trying to exonerate everyone who played active role in making him win the presidential seat most especially knowing that his financial supports had come from this sect of people.
I am here waiting patiently for what answer he will give in 2019 if he is asked "Did you see your Anti-Corruption fight as a success?"
Soneye Abdul-Azeez Lekan writes from tasued
IG @Las2boyT
APC, upon declaring Buhari as its presidential flag bearer in December 2014,we all agitated to give him the full support come the 2015 election.
Time didn't take too slow and we matched to our various polling boots and casted our votes which saw to the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as the winner of the presidential election and the whole of Nigeria was in new shade and the heaven and land of Nigeria was rejoicing. We all nursed the hope that the era has come when we shall have an accountable government which will see to the end of the bad worms profligating our resources to their personal advantage.
What arose our hope the more was the notable statement you made that "I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody". I heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this that this is the beginning of the end of 'god-fatherism' and 'I am untouchable' scenario in our political affairs.
However contrary to the expectation of Nigerians, Buhari has been more involved in vengeance than fighting corruption. The arrest of Sambo Dasuki by the DSS on July 17th 2015,a Muslim festival day for that matter, obviously was a retaliation on how Dasuki dealt with him on a similar day on the 26th of August 1985 on the order of Ibrahim Babangida. How the corruption trial of Dasuki unfold is still unclear to the masses as we are only being fed with unreliable news everyday.And I start to wonder if Buhari has forgotten so early what he said in his inaugural speech that "A few people have privately voiced fears that on coming back to office I shall go after them. These fears are groundless. There will be no paying off old scores. The past is prologue". Has he really make the past a prologue?
Of course the tension was eased a bit when EFCC began to trial Senate President Bukola Saraki . We all feel EFCC was doing its job fearlessly without minding to whose or what political affiliation everyone on its list belong. But critically looking at the situation as it unfolded I likened it to a persecution of a man who has gone beyond the party's might to stand against the wish of Tinubu(the mastermind of Buhari's victory) to steal the control of the senate presidency. An average Nigerian who know less about this would have appraised Buhari for empowering EFCC so much to fight a sitting senate president but as time will tell, Tinubu had it tough with Buhari on appointments and then EFCC relented on Saraki's case.
I could recall, Buhari had spoken in Hausa in his campaign speech at Kaduna during the zonal rally held at the International Trade Fair that “On the issue of past corrupt leaders facing trials in various courts across the country, I would allow the courts to decide on those cases, but whoever that is indicted of corruption between 1999 to the time of swearing-in, would be pardoned. I am going to draw a line, anybody who involved himself in corruption after I assume office, will face the music.” The only explanation I can ascribe to this is that he intend to free everyone who was in power before him, on the basis that new attorney General of the federation willl be appointed and new EFCC chairman as well which would mar the traces of cases against these dubious people. I couldn't attach any inference to this than Buhari is only trying to exonerate everyone who played active role in making him win the presidential seat most especially knowing that his financial supports had come from this sect of people.
I am here waiting patiently for what answer he will give in 2019 if he is asked "Did you see your Anti-Corruption fight as a success?"
Soneye Abdul-Azeez Lekan writes from tasued
IG @Las2boyT
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