Buhari scoffs at Matawalle’s demand, EFCC investigates Matawalle instead
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Muhammadu Buhari has laughed off the call from Zamfara Governor Bello Matawalle for the President to ask the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Aso Rock officials and Ministers for greed and graft.
Matawalle argued the EFCC should not limit its corruption probe to Governors alone but should include Villa officials and Federal Executive Council (FEC) members.
However, the EFCC swooped on Matawalle himself 24 hours after he made the call, with the graft buster announcing on Thursday his investigation for alleged award of phantom contracts and diversion of more than N70 billion public funds.
Matawalle had reacted in a statement to a report quoting EFCC Chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa as saying the agency has sent invitations to all outgoing Governors and Commissioners for corruption investigation.
Matawalle said he has no problem with probing outgoing Governors but Presidency officials and Ministers officials should not be spared.
“The investigation must be holistic and not selective. It is in this respect that the recent invitations and pronouncement by the EFCC chair is imbalance, incomplete, hypocritical and unnecessarily skewed,” he insisted.
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Counter-productive move
“This is counter-productive to the anti-corruption crusade itself, that is if Mallam Bawa is actually committed to one,” Matawalle added, according to The PUNCH.
“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.”
Buhari dismisses probe of his officials
However, Buhari dismissed Matawalle’s suggestion that Aso Rock officials and FEC members be also investigated for stealing or other forms of corruption.
Buhari’s take was conveyed by Information Minister Lai Mohammed, a member of the FEC.
“The governor has the right to make suggestions, that is his own opinion,” Mohammed said, per reporting by Vanguard.