News

SERAP to EFCC: Probe corruption in conduct of APC, PDP primaries

 

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an urgent petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) requesting them to “jointly investigate allegations of corruption during the recent primaries by both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The group urged the anti-graft agency to collaborate with the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) in any such investigation.
SERAP also urged the EFCC and ICPC to, “widely publish the outcome of any investigation carried out, and if there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence, to bring to justice anyone involved.”
In the petition dated 10 November, 2018 and signed by SERAP Senior Legal Adviser, Bamisope Adeyanju, the organisation said, “Allegations of bribe payments by candidates to political parties and party officials would ultimately undermine the principles of representative and accountable government that acts in the public interest, equality and fairness. Whether or not the allegations are true, the fact that both parties have repeatedly accused each other of corruption raises significant concerns about the influence of money in Nigerian politics and public positions being given in return for cash.”
The organisation expressed “serious concern that if true, the allegations that officials of leading political parties engaged in corrupt acts would weaken public confidence in the electoral and democratic process, and send a damaging message that public offices are for sale and that politicians are interested in public offices only for themselves and not for the common good.”
The petition addressed to Ibrahim Magu Acting Chairman, EFCC; Musa Abubakar Acting Chairman, ICPC, and copied to Itse Sagay, Chairman Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) read in part: “The allegations of bribe payments by candidates to political parties and party officials should be thoroughly investigated and anyone suspected to be involved prosecuted if the country’s political parties are to win back the trust of citizens.”
“When officials of political parties sell access to public offices in return for money, the entire institutions of governance are invariably compromised. SERAP urges both the EFCC and ICPC to proactively act to ensure greater level of transparency and accountability and reduce the risk of corruption among political parties if Nigeria is not to continue to witness damaging allegations of corruption involving political parties.”

Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button