Bello Matawalle, the governor of Zamfara State, has requested the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to include members of the Federal Executive Council and officers of the Presidency in its corruption investigation as well.
He made the request in response to a news that the EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa, said that the anti-graft organization had sent invitations to all departing governors and commissioners for a corruption investigation.
While Matawalle stated he had no issue with the intention to investigate departing governors, he added that officials of the Presidency should also not be exempt.
He asserts that the probe must be thorough and not biased. He claimed that the EFCC chair’s recent invites and statements are unbalanced, insufficient, hypocritical and unnecessarily skewed.
“This is counter-productive to the anti-corruption crusade itself, that is if Mallam Bawa is actually committed to one.
“I demand that the EFCC chair extend similar invitations to officers of the Presidency and members of the Federal Executive Council, which is the highest tier of government in the country.
“In furtherance of my desire to engender a broad-based investigation and an enlargement of the fight against corruption, I will also demand that Abdulrasheed Bawa excuse himself and surrender himself for investigation, as I and some eminent Nigerians have evidence of corrupt practices, breach of public trust and abuse of office against him and the commission led by him.
“Importantly, he needs to come clean with Nigerians on the way and manner he has prosecuted the anti-corruption fight. He needs to explain among others how seized assets by the EFCC are being sold without adherence to due process.
“He should explain, for instance, how he has assumed the role of the plaintiff, prosecutor and jury and how he has executed his brand of plea bargaining with suspected criminals and saboteurs of the Nigerian economy and agenda who instead of being put on trial, are walking freely all over Nigeria.”
