President-elect Tinubu’s promise to fight corruption ‘completely sacrilegious’ – PDP
Main opposition, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described statement credited to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, and President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, where he promised to fight corruption in the country, as alarming, scandalizing and embarrassing.
It would be recalled that the president-elect, Tinubu had during the his commissioning of some judiciary projects in Rivers State, vowed to tackle corruption in the country once sworn into office on May 29, among others.
Reacting to the president-elect’s claims, the main opposition party, said Tinubu’s statement ‘is completely sacrilegious and an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians, having regards to his records of alleged corruption and having been described variously as an embodiment of corruption in his public life.’
PDP, in a reaction issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, said al Nigerians are alrmed, scandalized and embarrassed by the APC’s chieftain’s promises, adding that it ‘is in the public domain that as Governor of Lagos State, Senator Tinubu promoted and institutionalized corruption as an act of governance. It is on record that Senator Tinubu is alleged to be deeply involved in the infamous cases involving Alpha Beta Consulting Limited and Alpha Beta LLP, allegedly owned and controlled by him and through which over N100 billion belonging to Lagos State was reportedly stolen through shady tax collection deals.’
“It is also public knowledge that there has been numerous allegations and evidence of corruption and complicity by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the declaration of Senator Tinubu as winner of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election. Today Nigerians and indeed the world believe that that declaration was a product of corruption of the Process, Institutions and the Law by the APC and its Presidential candidate.
“It is therefore ludicrous that an individual who has been widely alleged to be an enabler and beneficiary of corruption can attempt to put himself forward to Nigerians as a champion of anti-corruption. Of course, corruption cannot fight corruption!
“If indeed Senator Tinubu is desirous of fighting corruption, the starting point should be that he publicly and personally address Nigerians on the numerous allegations of corruption, including the Alpha Beta cases and alleged improper acquisition and conversion of Lagos State Government landed properties worth billions of naira to himself, family, associates and cronies.
“Clearly, Senator Tinubu’s pontification or claims on corruption is a further attempt to corrupt, cultivate, patronize, lure and compromise the Judiciary ahead of the commencement of the hearing of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Monday, May 8, 2023 and nothing more,” the party said.
The PDP, therefore, called on ‘the Judiciary to be wary of attempts by the APC and its Presidential Candidate to patronize them in the course of the discharge of their Constitutional duties as impartial arbiter, particularly in the pending Petition before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.’