Even as the APC attempts to whitewash its soiled image through the resignation of the disgraced ex-minister of finance, Kemi Adeosun, the African Action Congress (AAC) merely sees the act as further signs of politricking and a complete lack of morals.
For over two months, the allegation of forgery hung over Ms Adeosun and the Buhari administration shrugged it off, with the minister herself arrogantly silent or dismissive each time she was confronted over it. It is clear that the APC thought Nigeria would be business as usual; their recklessness being overlooked by weary and hungry Nigerians. It is to the credit of tenacious, persistent, forward-thinking Nigerians that there was even a response to this blatant show of deceit. The APC would have otherwise been happy to join their partners-in-crime, the PDP, in adding a new clarification to the word “corrupt”.
The soul of the African Action Congress party, the Take it Back Movement, has long urged that “no officer of government with a modicum of questionable conduct or integrity should stay in office”, so it was with surprise that we are hearing these words from the APC tent. APC is, from the ground up, an assemblage of politically exposed characters whose résumés both in public and private arenas have shown malfeasance bordering on criminality. Indeed, Ms. Adeosun’s crime of forgery pales in comparison to some of the actions of many of the key players.
The former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has a file worth N950 million with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). His sudden defection to the APC, however, seems to have expunged all knowledge of this file from the minds of the ruling party, as party Chairman, Adams Oshiomole, now considers him a “progressive”
Senator Godswill Akpabio, while governor, managed Akwa Ibom so well it became the capital of youth unemployment in Nigeria in the midst of massive allocation of oil proceeds.
Musiliu Obanikoro assumed the role of the first civilian Brigadier General of the Army in the Ekiti election of 2014, ferrying huge amounts to buy votes and our national institutions. Before being absolved of all wrongdoing by the APC, the EFCC made him cough out at least N473million out of the N4.68billion of the nation’s funds that he’d mismanaged.
All small fry compared to the APC national leader, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a man whose notoriety spans from fraud to perjury and the perversion of politics. It is no secret that he had to forfeit almost half a million dollars to the US Treasury Department having been indicted as a drug dealing kingpin in the 90s. His partnership with the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, in running Lagos State yielded a N78 million website built by the former governor.
APC is not now, nor has ever been concerned with transparency, legalities or integrity. Even in removing a minister who broke the law, the action is self-serving in these days leading up to a national election.
As they begin the scramble of their lives to stay in power, we urge Nigerians not to rest and remain ever vigilant against their wiles. We must not be satisfied with her resignation – one that may have her still being paid off under some guise or the other – but must call for the prosecution of Ms Adeosun who, as we now know, continued her corrupt practices while in office. For we know that it was she who opened our national treasury to persons who knew about her forgery, especially Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Dogara, both of who, according to the APC, were men of integrity until a few weeks ago.
AmanamHillary Umo-Udofia
Deputy National Publicity Secretary
African Action Congress (AAC)