The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday said while it
agrees with the federal government in the fight against corruption, however, due
process must be followed and rights of suspects respected.
PDP also said the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not filled
with saints as many of its leaders were the “worst corrupt set of Nigerians”.
The PDP in a statement issued by Olisa Metuh, its spokesman, on
Tuesday said the clarification had become necessary to remove any misconception
that it was against the decision of the present administration to probe some
past officials of government because they are members of the party.
“The PDP supports the decision of the federal government to
fight corruption in our country. However, we make bold to state that it should
not be used as a guise to victimize innocent citizens. Democracy has come to
stay in Nigeria and no citizen, irrespective of political, religious or ethnic
affiliation should be denied access to due process and the rule of law in the
process,” it said.
“In the same vein, we want to state categorically that the
anti-corruption war, whilst targeted at the immediate past administration
should not by any means be blind to the impunity of the present leaders of the
country either in terms of borrowing and spending without recourse to the
statutory arms and organs of government and dictates of transparency and
accountability, or in terms of nepotism in appointments in key institutions
such as INEC and the DSS.
“The anti-corruption effort must not be blind to the corrupting
of the security system resulting in the intrusion by over-zealous operatives on
issues bordering purely on politics; the hounding, arrest and detention of
resident electoral officers and members of election tribunals in Rivers, Akwa
Ibom and other PDP states.
“Furthermore, we make bold to state that he who comes to equity
must come with clean hands. In that regard therefore, we advise members of the
APC blowing the horn ahead of the cart to keep quiet because many of them have
been major beneficiaries of corruption and sleazes associated with themselves
and their allies, especially one of them who as a disguised errand boy of a well-known
APC leader is a major beneficiary of the largesse of perpetrators of
corruption.
“Apart from Mr President, who for now, is not associated with
any sleaze or corrupt activity in this democracy, most APC leaders are still
those who as governors, ministers and labour leaders have been the worst
corrupt set of Nigerians ever to bestride the political landscape of the country.
“It is a great miscarriage of perception therefore for APC
leaders who are perpetrators of sleazes and corrupt acts to attempt to deceive
Nigerians with imaginary holiness in this anti-corruption war by the president.
“Consequently, we counsel Mr President, as the leader of the APC
to remove the log in the eyes of his party while we support his commitment to
remove the speck from the eyes of others”.
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