President Muhammadu Buhari’s ongoing crackdown on corrupt elements in Nigeria will not spare anyone who has a case to answer, and even his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, would face justice if caught by the graft web.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who made the disclosure on Thursday said President Buhari has “no accord” to shield Mr. Jonathan or any other corrupt person(s) from prosecution.
“There is no accord. If the corruption fight needs to get there (making Mr. Jonathan face justice), it will get there.”
With as many top officials of the Jonathan led government as well as his political associates in the Peoples Democratic Party either facing corruption trail or investigation by the Economic and Financial crimes Commission, there are questions over the fate of Jonathan if finally gets entangled in the complex corruption web.
The $2.1 billion Arms purchase scandal for which Jonathan’s former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, and a host of other top PDP chieftains are currently standing trial for could implicate the former president.
According to EFCC investigators, Mr. Dasuki said he was authorized by Mr. Jonathan to release the money for the nation’s security programmes, and for the 2015 presidential campaign. PDP National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, also claimed that he received monies from Mr. Dasuki after carrying out unspecified assignments for the former president.
Those claims have raised questions regarding whether Mr. Jonathan, whom President Buhari assured during transfer of power in 2015, that he had nothing to fear, would face prosecution should it be proven he has a case to answer.
Buhari led government has already come under fire from the opposition party who claimed that the anti-corruption war was bias against the PDP. Such allegations gained foothold after Buhari’s political associate and party member, Jafaru Isa, granted quick release from the EFCC despite facing a similar allegation as that against Mr. Metuh, the PDP spokesperson.
Mr. Adesina, however denied the allegations of bias against President Buhari, insisting that the anti-corruption war was altruistic.
“There is no accord that if corruption is proven, it will not be tried,” he said of the former president.
“With this president, nobody will be protected. And I underscore it, if it needs to get anywhere, it will get there.”
Adesnina denied the speculation that Buhari made any agreement with Jonathan prior to the March 2015 presidential election that he (Mr. Jonathan) would not be made to face trial if corruption allegations were proven against him.
Adesina also denied Buhari’s involvement in the release of Mr. Isa after the APC member reportedly returned N100 million out of N170 million he was accused of unlawfully receiving from Mr. Dasuki.
“If the President had wanted to protect him, he would not have been arrested in the first place”, Mr. Adesina said.
The Presidential spokesperson also revealed that investigations into corrupt dealings in other sectors, such as banking, and petroleum, would soon start.
By Olisemeka Obeche