A political pressure group. Voice of the South-South, has written a protest letter to President Muhammadu Buhari over alleged disparity in the on-going investigation into cases of corrupt practices against some political appointees under the last administration.
The group declared that though they supported the anti-corruption crusade of President Buhari with the belief that it would be done with justice and equity, adding that the exclusion of the former presidents who are northerners and other APC stalwarts showed lopsidedness, selective justice and bias.
A statement issued yesterday at the end of an emergency meeting presided over by the state Chairman, Alex Dumbo and Chairman of the group’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Mr. Mike Ogiasa, stated that the cases of former Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and the late D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha have shown the bias of President Muhammadu Buhari in handling anti-corruption matters.
According to the group: ”First, we observed that immediately the past Minister of Petroleum Resources was purportedly arrested in London, the Department for Security Service (DSS) promptly invaded her home in Nigeria. Apart from Mrs. Alison-Madueke, we are yet to see or hear the arrest of any of the rest 42 ministers who served in the immediate past administration.
“The second incident is the late Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha, who the APC-led Federal Government recently claimed the British Government has requested for his extradition to the United Kingdom (UK) in connection with a case for which he had been tried, convicted, served and later granted ‘presidential pardon’ in Nigeria. While we express strong rebuttal of the
“Extradition Notice” by the British High Commission in Nigeria after the death of the Governor-General, we wonder from which office, other than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the purported extradition notice emanated from.
“What is the reaction of the APC-led Federal Government to this matter, now that the British High Commission in Nigeria has strongly refuted the claim?
“This approach by President Buhari, therefore, does not seem to depart from corruption itself because we believe that corruption cannot fight against corruption if our national life must improve. It is therefore our sincere advice that President Buhari should change his present style in the fight against corruption or stop the so-called fight against menace and come with feasible policies and programmes that will enhance the development of our dear country.
“President Buhari’s sincerity of purpose in the anti-corruption fight would be applauded if the President takes adequate positive steps to address the public outcry of corruption against some top allies who claimed they funded the All Progressives Congress (APC) to victory in the 2015 presidential election. We equally believe that President Buhari has what it takes to withstand the temptations of ethnic, religious, partisan and selfish consideration, which are capable of derailing the anti-corruption crusade if not resisted.”
On the forthcoming governorship election in Bayelsa State, the group urged President Buhari to resist the temptation of jumping into the arena and provide a level-playing field for all governorship candidates and political parties
