How anti-corruption war is fast tearing APC apart

Some historians have identified Adolf Hitler’s simultaneous engagements in a two-front war against the Western and Eastern blocs as one of the major reasons for the fall of the Third Reich. This fate that befell the old Germany during the Second World War, could be the lot of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) if it is unable to handle some of the critical issues facing the party ahead of 2019 presidential elections.

The Muhammadu Buhari administration, like Hitler’s, has been facing an array of challenges ranging from fulfilling its change promises to the ongoing war on graft, the persistent internal crisis and subtle distrust among the parties that merged into the APC.

The president’s platform is also facing problems of the prevailing economic recession and abject poverty ravaging Nigerians in the past one year and the fallout of the September 3 governorship primary in Ondo State among others. At present, the one placing a moral question on the administration’s anti-graft war is the allegations of corruption against some members of Buhari’s cabinet.

This is coming despite the fact that there are mixed feelings surrounding the sincerity of the government in addressing the issue without bias and favoritism.

Two Justices of the Supreme Court, Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro, who were affected by the recent raids of some judicial officers residence by the Department of State Services (DSS) on June 8, in an attempt to cleanse the judicial system had alleged that the Minister of Transportation; Mr. Rotimi Amaechi and his Science and Technology counterpart, Ogbonnaya Onu once attempted to induce them to favour the ruling party in election petitions.

On his part, Justice Okoro alleged that Amaechi came to his house to inform him that both President Buhari and the APC asked to tell him that they must win their cases in the three states of Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Abia.

He alleged that Amaechi told him that he sponsored Umana Umana, the candidate of the APC in the Akwa Ibom State governorship election and also alleged that the minister promised him a monthly pay from Umana once the Supreme Court declares the candidate the winner of the election.

Interestingly, the Justices allegation is already raising serious dust and worst still tearing the ruling party apart.While a faction of the party, and of course many Nigerians are calling on Amaechi and Onu to follow the humble part of the National Legal Adviser of the APC, Dr. Muiz Banire, who is currently under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) for allegedly assisting a judge of the National Industrial Court with N500, 000, an allegation he had since denied, others were of the opinion that the two ministers should continue with their job.

Already, The Guardian learnt that the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC is divided over the issue of the ministers resigning their positions pending the outcome of investigations. While some are calling on Buhari to take a decisive action others are of contrary opinion, saying there is no basis for such, since their accusers have not presented any concrete evidence to back up their claim.

A member who craved anonymity said majority of the NWC believes that the two ministers and other members of APC implicated in the scandal should step down. According to him, “It is not about Amaechi but the integrity of President Buhari and the survival of the anti-graft war. If the ministers refused to take the humble step, it would then mean that what skeptics have been saying in respect to the anti-graft war is right. The party cannot afford to be selective in this battle if it ever hopes to win.”

However, the Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), who made a statement on the issue on his personal capacity, described the call on Amaechi to step down, as malicious and vindictive and that it should be ignored.

The professor in a statement said the affected justices should face the reality of their charges, as he also described their outburst as surprising, saying, “It was totally unrelated to the raids of their premises, their arrest and subsequent charges before the courts.”

He said men of that status should not indulge in such diversionary activities in the midst of grave and ominous charges facing them, saying, “I would have thought that they would use the time at their disposal to prepare their defences against the serious charges they are facing.”

He added that Justices ought not to have engaged in a distraction totally incompatible with the dignity and respect that their high offices attract in the middle of the adversity confronting them.

According to him, “It is demeaning for them to abandon their legitimate defence in order to smear a high official of the Muhammadu Buhari government, which they probably consider to be the source of their predicaments.

“Mere allegations cannot have enough weight to affect the position of such a high official as Amaechi, otherwise knowing the disposition of Nigerians for putting people down, no office holder will be safe in this country.”

While he noted that the Justices allegations were aimed to undermine the Buhari’s administration and weaken it by depriving it of the service, input, ideas and productivity of some of its brightest stars, Sagay said, “It is improper and ridiculous to compare the position of the Justices in whose houses millions of naira and hundreds of thousands of dollars were recovered, to that of Amaechi against whom there is only the mere ipse dixit of the Judges.

“This sudden anti-Amaechi narrative is consistent with the objectives and interests of the chief promoters and funders of judicial corruption during election petitions.  These powerful opposition politicians are well known. “To be more specific, they are from Rivers and Akwa-Ibom States.  They are the ones who financed judicial corruptions and brought that great institution, the Judiciary, to its knees, after the 2015 elections.