There had been indications in the news that politicians in the country have begun to lobby the Code of Conduct Bureau into availing them the avenue to tinker with the information earlier submitted on the assets declaration forms already in its custody, to escape possible future prosecution. A development which came in the light of the ongoing trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal over alleged false declaration of assets. Politicians in the country had until now seemed to have taken the exercise for granted, believing that a day of reckoning may never come. Continue reading “SARAKIGATE: POLITICIANS RUNNING FROM THEIR SHADOWS – CACOL”

 

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has queried the propriety of the choice of the two governorship candidates by the All Progressives Congress in Kogi and Bayelsa States.

 

This came on the heels of the recent emergence of former Governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Mr. Timipre Sylva as candidates of the All Progressives Congress governorship elections scheduled to hold in Kogi and Bayelsa States on 21st November, 2015 and 5th December, 2015 respectively.

 

All Progressives Congress’s candidate for the Kogi State governorship election, Prince Abubakar Audu’s public records is that of a man that has been described in many derogatory adjectives ever since he left office as governor in 2003. It is well documented that he has been hurled severally before several judges and on various issues. Mr. Audu was recently being prosecuted by the anti-graft agency, EFCC, of misappropriating N11 billion of the state’s funds while he was governor between 1999 and 2003.

 

Mr. Sylva was also docked alongside his co-accused in July 2014 for allegedly using three companies to siphon funds from Bayelsa state treasury between 2009 and 2012. A fresh plea over a six-count criminal charge was filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. He is said to be facing trial over the allegation that he masterminded the illegal diversion of funds from the Bayelsa State treasury while in power. He was specifically accused of siphoning over N6.5 billion from the Bayelsa State treasury between October 2009 and February 2010.

 

Reacting to this development on behalf of the Coalition, its Executive Chairman, Comrade Debo Adeniran has expressed his total disagreement and has frowned at the choice of the ruling party’s governorship candidates. He said, “The two candidates being presented by the ruling party in the two states are standing trial for corruption and we don’t think the party should allow those who have not discharged themselves of baggages of corruption to contest election, let alone win election. That would mean that they are allowing a danger that has been foreseen to cause catastrophe because, if they have not discharged themselves of corruption charges on account of their first term in office, they ought not to be allowed to cause further damage.

 

“Their integrity is still doubtful; so why should we allow them to go into the same office where we cannot be sure whether or not they are going to govern with integrity?” Thus, their openly expressed desire to seek a come back to the state Government House as governor, should be considered a misplaced effrontery.

 

Speaking further, Adeniran stressed that no sustainable democratic culture could be established as long as our No. 1 enemy, corruption, thrives. This is why CACOL and other anti-corruption institutions and organizations should not relent but remain in the vanguard of the fight against this seemingly untamable monster that had overtime assumed the overbearing status of an albatross that has constantly been terrifying the very existence of this nation by preventing corrupt elements from assuming political positions.

 

We believe that President Buhari, as a leader in the ruling party and one acknowledged to be a no-nonsense man on issues of corruption, cannot afford to be neither be too deaf nor blind to the long list of Audu Abubakar’s and Timipere Sylva past allegations. We also believe he would want to be taken seriously on his recent declaration to the world that his fight against corruption is not a respecter of political affiliation. “If you have reasons to fraternize with corrupt elements and you know deep down in your heart that such people are corrupt, then you don’t have to pander to the dictates of such class of people. The President needs to take up the toga of a revolutionary to be able to win the war, Adeniran added.

 

We would want to conclude, concerning this issue, that we are not oblivious of similar practice in some other political parties. The emergence of Ayodele Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as Ekiti State governor in the last gubernatorial election in the state is another reference point. It’s on record that several charges, ranging from financial impropriety to murder, remained unresolved for over eight years after leaving office in his first stanza as the state governor, up till today. Therefore, our position on this anomaly should be seen and perceived by all concerned from a generalized view-point.

 

 

 

Temitope Macjob

Acting Media Officer, CACOL

temitope@thehumanitycentre.org

cacolc@yahoo.com.

23^rd September, 2015.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at

www.corruptionwatchng.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sep 20 2015 – 3:59pm

Eromosele Ebhomele.

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, has slammed those castigating Nigeria’s Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, over the latter’s trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki and subsequent order of his arrest for abstaining from the tribunal.

Though the Nigeria Police Force says it does not have a warrant of arrest from the tribunal to carry out the order against Saraki, the anti-corruption crusader said the tribunal’s action has shown that nobody, no matter how highly placed can be treated as a sacred cow in the current fight against corruption in the country. Saraki’s trial was supposed to commence on Friday, 18 September, 2015, but his absence resulted in the tribunal ordering his arrest.

“It’s worth recalling that CACOL, like some other well-meaning individuals and organisations, has consistently been advocating the strengthening of our institutions, especially those serving as avenues for law and justice if our clamour for entrenching the culture of respect for the rule of law, recognition of its supremacy, equality before the law, enforcement of the law and of course, unbiased but upright judicial system, as a veritable means of stemming the alarming tide of corruption in our country, is to be taken seriously,” Debo Adeniran, Executive Chairman of CACOL said.

Adeniran reminded Nigerians that the Buhari administration was voted in mainly to effect a positive change in the system. “Having collectively agreed that corruption has remained our number one enemy of progress as a nation, we owe it a duty to collectively give every support possible to this government in its fight against the monster that has ravaged our nation for this long,” Adeniran added.

He said his organisation would not buy into all the sentiments of witch-hunt, vendetta and the likes against Saraki as being expressed by those he called subversive elements in the society. “What is all this noise about witch-hunt, selectiveness or vendetta or whatever they want to call it? To me, it’s all bal-da-dash. Let’s even agree that the CCB’s action is selective, the reasonable question here should be; does it have a case at all against the accused? If the answer is yes, then why all the fuss? Assuming only five out of 20 thieves are being selected for prosecution, does that remove the fact that those five are thieves? The point I believe these critics should rather address here is; if thieves are selected, there is no way you could be among those selected if you are not a thief; and if you believe you have been selected in error, appear before the court and prove your innocence. I believe that settles it,” Adeniran argued.

CACOL posited that Senator Saraki is a Nigerian, a lawmaker representing the people of Nigeria and that he is being arraigned before a competent court to answer to charges made against him.

“Guilty or not, he has to appear,” the coalition’s chairman said. “We also warn those mischief-makers to desist from politicising every step taken by the government or any constituted and competent arm of the government, towards achieving a given end. Whatever intra-party or inter-party crisis that may exist within the polity should be of less interest to the Nigerian public; rather, what should be of paramount interest should be that of our collective wish as a nation. The fight against corruption should be seen as a collective one; therefore this administration needs the support of all in order to succeed. We must all realise that it is Saraki today; it certainly would be somebody else tomorrow. The Code of Conduct Bureau must not only be effective but must be seen to be and it just has to start from somewhere,” Adeniran said.

 Source: The News

The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL has expressed dismay at the news report quoting the police placing the delay in prosecuting the case of alleged forgery of the senate rules by certain members of the National Assembly at the doorstep of the office of the AGF.
The Police, in a statement, attributed the delay in the prosecution of those indicted in their report on the investigation into the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Rule 2015 to a civil suit by a group seeking an injunction to stop the matter in court.
The allegation which was brought to the fore was sequel to a petition by Senator Sulaiman Hunkuyi of the All Progressives Congress from Kaduna State, claiming a criminal act of forgery was committed by some yet-to-be named members of the upper chamber of the National Assembly in connivance with some management officers in the Senate rules; an act which allegedly facilitated the controversial emergence of certain principal officers of the Senate in the last elections on the floor of the House.
In the report; the police had claimed to have carried out its investigations thoroughly during which some senators as well as management officers were interrogated at different times after which it produced its report and accordingly forwarded same to the office of the AGF for further actions which include giving legal advice and recommendations on the matter.
But, according to the police, the office of the AGF, rather than do the needful, choose to embark on a delay process by returning the said report to the police, asking it to do further investigation on the case. Whilst the police insisted it has since returned the report to the AGF’s office, the latter denied ever receiving any such thing, and so the buck-passing game continues.

Reacting to the news, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Debo Adeniran has wondered with dismay how a criminal case of such magnitude could be toyed with by those whose responsibility is to ensure prompt dispensation of justice at all times.
“CACOL believes that when an allegation of crime is made against a lawmaker or group of lawmakers, in any sane society, one would have expected that every process of investigation and possible prosecution be expedited with all the seriousness it deserves and without unnecessary delay whatsoever.
“For crying out loud, we are talking here about the senior representatives of the people entrusted with the noble task of making laws for us. So why all this blame game and buck-passing? Both the police and the AGF should sit up and do the needful. They should be told loud and clear that this is one case that cannot be swept under the carpet. Nigerians are eager to know the findings of the probe; they want to know the truth. Criminals can’t be made law-makers.

 

“For those who would preside over the making, unmaking and adjustments of the body of laws with which our lives will be administered, Nigerians cannot afford to tolerate them to be people of questionable character and until this present allegations are cleared, everybody that has been accused of the crime will be viewed by Nigerians as still of doubtful integrity”, Adeniran said.

 

Temitope Macjob

Acting Media Officer, CACOL

temitope@thehumanitycentre.org

cacolc@yahoo.com.

15^th September, 2015.

 

 

 

For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at

www.cwatch.thehumanitycentre.org

 

 

The Coalition Against Corrupt leaders, CACOL, has condemned the stand of the All Progressives Congress Governors on public declaration of assets.

This came on the heels of statement by the Governors who said they will not follow the example laid by President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in declaring their assets publicly.

It was reported in some sections of the media that the APC governors claimed it is not compulsory for them to declare their assets publicly and that they would not be pressured to follow the president’s action. According to them, there is no law mandating them to publicly state their worth in terms of property and cash.

Reacting to the news, the Executive Chairman of CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran condemned the governors’ excuses that public declaration of assets is not constitutional.

“It is preposterous that governors who rode on the back of President Buhari’s integrity to victory could turn around to claim they are not under obligation to follow in his footstep as regards public declaration of assets. Even if the constitution doesn’t make it mandatory for public office holders to make assets declaration public, why couldn’t they do it on morality ground? It is morally wrong for any governor to hide under one ambiguity of the constitution to defend public declaration of assets.

It is a known fact that public assets declaration, which is a standard practice in the developed world, increases transparency and the trust of citizens in their elected representatives. As a matter of fact, politicians and public exposed persons who disclose information about their assets show that they have nothing to hide.

It is important to repeat for the umpteenth time that asset declaration is one of the many tools that can help curb the pervasive corruption ravaging this country. It would also translate into a clear evidence of seriousness and sincerity on the part of our politicians in their quest to fighting and eradicating corruption from our land. The stand of the governors is highly reprehensible and must be condemned by every well-meaning Nigerian.”

 

The anti-corruption czar however advised the governor to emulate the President if they would have their names in the good book of the country.

 

“The governors should follow suit and declare their assets publicly whether they are first term or 2^nd term governors. The nation is watching and all political leaders should take a cue from whatever pattern President Buhari shows.

 

Public disclosure of assets is crucial for ensuring that public officials’ personal interests as the leaders of the nation, do not conflict with their duties and responsibilities. It also helps to provide a baseline and thus means for comparison to identify assets that may have been corruptly acquired and that a public official may legitimately be asked to account for.

We are therefore urging the president to urgently take measures to seek amendment of the law relating to declaration of assets to include the requirement of public disclosure so as to bring it in line with international standards and best practices such as the UN Convention against Corruption. The president must also ensure that all those to work with him declare their assets openly to enable Nigerians monitor them.”

 

Temitope Macjob

Acting Media Officer, CACOL

temitope@thehumanitycenter.org

cacolc@yahoo.com

08029215000

12^th September, 2015

 

 

 

For more press releases and statements, please visit our website at

www.cwatch.thehumanitycentre.org