Northern Elders Criticize Attempts To Revive Charges Against Former Governors

Elders from the North, who convened in Kaduna over the weekend, have voiced their concern regarding purported efforts to resurrect charges against certain former Governors from the Northern region through the anti-graft agency.

Recall Naija News reported that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had reignited its investigation into money laundering cases against 13 former governors and several ex-ministers, with the total amount involved surpassing N853.8 billion.

Representing the Northern Elders Progressive Forum and Northern Professionals, Yusuf Abubakar expressed dissatisfaction with a recent newspaper article titled “EFCC revives 13 ex-govs N772bn fraud cases” while presenting the communique of their two-day meeting to journalists in Kaduna on Sunday.

The group expressed concern over the alleged misuse of media platforms by certain political groups to tarnish the image of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

While commending the new EFCC leadership for their anti-corruption efforts, the group criticized a recent report that hastily named political leaders and individuals accused of illegal wealth accumulation without following due process.

They urged the EFCC not to be manipulated for political vendettas or personal grudges, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the agency’s integrity in the fight against corruption.

Yusuf Abubakar read, “We think that certain groups of political class, because of vendetta or other reasons, are cheaply using some media platforms to drag the anti-graft agency’s image into disrepute to achieve cheap and unpopular political scores.”

According to the group, “While we commend the efforts of the new leadership of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under Mr. Ola Olukoyede in the fight against corruption, we have no doubts that the new EFCC boss will stick to the standard of the operation of the Commission.

“However, we are dismayed with the recent reports titled ‘EFCC revives 13 ex-govs N772 bn fraud cases’ in which it hurriedly published names of certain political leaders and individuals with alleged accusations of amassing public wealth illegally without recourse to the due process and rule of law.

“The hurried publication has now become a big embarrassment to them, their families, political associates, and our dear nation in the quest for objectivity, a presumption of innocence, emotional, and moral psyche. We think that certain groups of political class, because of vendetta or other reasons, are cheaply using some media platforms to drag the anti-graft agency’s image into disrepute to achieve cheap and unpopular political scores.

“Whilst appreciating EFCC’s highly motivated operations and effective fight against crime and corruption in the country so far, it is pertinent to note that the new objectives assured by the leadership of EFCC in the fight against crime and corruption under President Ahmed Bola Tinubu are about to be eroded by certain selfish group of political individuals with access to media and investigation in the commission.

“The commission should not allow itself to become a tool of political vendetta, blackmail, or intimidation against any individual through personal grudges, persecution, and campaign of calumny to tarnish the image of certain personalities or any perceived political enemies of the characters hiding behind their executive power to unleash allegations through media for public consumption and sympathy.“