Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to explain to Nigerians why it did not include former Governor of the state, Dr Kayode Fayemi, among the former public officers the commission is currently probing.
According to the party, the ICPC, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies have been given more than enough petitions and facts to assist them in getting to the root of the financial misconduct perpetrated by Fayemi while in office.
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday by the State Publicity Secretary, Jackson Adebayo, the PDP said it was aware of the deluge of petitions against Fayemi lying with the anti-graft bodies.
The party added that it could still furnish the commission and others more information and facts if necessary.
The party was reacting to the announcement by the ICPC that it was investigating some former state governors over alleged misconduct while in office.
Adebayo demanded that the ICPC would only be ethically justified after explaining to Nigerians why it decided to be selective in its dealings in recent times and in particular why a governor on whose neck a lot of petitions were hanging would be parried outside the ambit of the law.
“We are waiting for the ICPC to explain to the people of Nigeria why it has decided to be covering up the corruption allegations against the former governor of Ekiti State after many petitions from groups and individuals in and outside Ekiti State were submitted to it, as well as the reports of other agencies which have at one time or the other indicted him of mismanaging the finances of our dear state.
“As a party, we’ve raised this alarm before to forestall this high wired conspiracy and cover up, but the anti-corruption body refused to come out and deny or explain. Likewise the Presidency has not said anything contrary to the allegation, hence our belief that the non-inclusion of Dr Fayemi on the list of the individuals being probed by the ICPC is grossly deficient and it is a deliberate attempt to trample on justice,” he added.
According to the PDP spokesman, the position of the anti-graft body was not in tune with that of a supposed unbiased investigator and a credible organisation against corruption.
The PDP spokesman stressed that the people of Ekiti State were earnestly waiting for the investigation of Fayemi, who left the state with over N80 billion debt, three months’ salaries unpaid and all the deductions of workers carted away, and were feeling disappointed at the wrong signals from the ICPC and the Presidency.
“But we will not relent in our quest to bring him to account for all the atrocities he and his co-travellers in the game of swindling Ekiti people perpetrated during the last All Progressives Congress-led administration in the state,” he stated.
