The presidency has declared that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari will not spare anyone who has a case to answer, including his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan.
Presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, told PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday, when he visited the newspaper’s office in Abuja, that Buhari has “no accord” to shield any corrupt person from prosecution.
“There is no accord. If the corruption fight needs to get there (making Mr. Jonathan face justice), it will get there,” Adesina said.
Several top officials who served under Jonathan, as well as his political associates in the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party, are currently being tried, or investigated by the Economic and Financial crimes Commission, for corruption.
A major case involves a former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, accused of diverting $2.1 billion arms money, and sharing same to politicians and cronies of the former president, which Dasuki says he was authorized by Mr. Jonathan to do.
Those claims have raised questions whether Jonathan, whom 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 has also been accused of bias against the PDP and the allegations gained gained momentum last week after his associate and party member, Jafaru Isa, was released by the EFCC despite facing same allegation as Metuh, the PDP spokesperson.
But Adesina denied the allegations against the president, insisting that “There is no accord that if corruption is proven, it will not be tried, With this president, nobody will be protected. And I underscore it, if it needs to get anywhere, it will get there.”
He emphasized that there was no accord prior to the March 2015 presidential election that Jonathan would not be made to face trial if corruption allegation is proven against him.
Adesina denied Buhari’s involvement in the release of Isa after the APC member reportedly returned N100 million out of N170 million he was accused of unlawfully receiving from Dasuki.
If the President had wanted to protect him, “he would not have been arrested in the first place”, Adesina said.
He said investigations into other sectors, such as banking, and petroleum, would soon start.
*Premium Times
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