The Federal Government has declared that politicians facing corruption allegations will not escape prosecution by merely defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), made this known in a statement issued on Friday by his media aide, Mr. Kamarudeen Ogundele. Fagbemi reaffirmed President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and prosecuting corrupt individuals, regardless of their political affiliations.
This clarification comes amid allegations from Mr. Paul Ibe, spokesman to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who had accused officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Federal Ministry of Justice of meeting with a former and a serving governor from the South-South region, just 48 hours before their defection to the APC.
Fagbemi dismissed the claim as “a figment of Mr. Ibe’s imagination” and “from the pit of hell,” asserting that the EFCC Chairman and the Solicitor-General of the Federation never met any current or former governors as alleged.
“We appeal to the public to disregard the insinuation. It is a feeble attempt to discredit the anti-corruption drive of the Tinubu-led administration.
“This government remains resolute in its mission to fight corruption, no matter whose ox is gored,” the AGF stated.
In a separate reaction, the EFCC, through its spokesperson, Mr. Dele Oyewale, described the allegation as “patently fabricated and in bad taste.”
Oyewale said Mr. Ibe’s comments, made during a television interview on May 22, were based on “sundry theories, conjectures, and assumptions” with no factual basis.
“The public is enjoined to disregard the alleged meeting with an unnamed governor. It only exists in the imagination of Mr. Ibe,” the EFCC said, reiterating that Chairman Ola Olukoyede is apolitical and committed to professional standards.
Both the Justice Ministry and the EFCC emphasized that their institutions are not swayed by political considerations in the discharge of their duties.
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