From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said it had been silent on the huge sums of money allegedly recovered from former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke, because the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has turned itself into both the prosecutor and the jury.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said this while fielding questions from journalists at the party’s headquarters in Abuja.
Adeyeye accused the EFCC of being more interested in propaganda than in diligently investigating and prosecuting corruption cases.
He noted: “People are convicted on the pages of newspapers and it should stop. Even if you find any amount of money with somebody, it is not for the EFCC to indict anybody. This is propaganda war. In the end propaganda cannot replace facts.”
Adeyeye said at a point, the EFCC claimed it recovered N90 billion from the former Petroleum Minister, noting that if indeed the anti-graft agency recovered such amount, there would not have been so much suffering in the country.
The PDP spokesman dismissed the fight against corruption by the All Progressives Congress (APC)- led Federal Government, as a mere witch-hunt of opposition politicians.
He said even the Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, had weighty allegations against him by the Department of State Services (DSS), which stalled his confirmation by the Senate on two occasions.
“The anti-corruption war is not going anywhere. It is a complete failure. The fight has become lawless.”