CSOs demand suspension of officials, party members facing corruption trial 

Civil Society Organisations in the anti-corruption community have urged the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and opposition parties, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to suspend their members being investigated for corruption.

The organisations also asked the National Judicial Council to diligently monitor its members and promptly remove any corrupt judicial officer found to be compromising the judicial system.

The CSOs, including the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre), Resource Centre for Human Rights and Civic Education (CHRICED), Centre Democracy and Development (CDD), Accountability Lab made the call at a press briefing in Abuja yesterday.

Other members include the Nigeria Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), BudgIT Foundation, Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA), Tax Justice and Governance Platform, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Zero Corruption Coalition (ZCC), Alliance for Credible Elections (ACE), Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), Connected Development (CODE), and Yiaga Africa, among others.

Addressing journalists, the Executive Director of CISLAC, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, said the Nigeria Police must avoid actions that may portray it as being submissive to politicians.

According to him, the withdrawal of about 40 Police officers who were responsible for security and investigative tasks has not only hampered the work of the anti-corruption agency in Kano State, but also endangered the police’s obligation to operate with impartiality and independence.

He alleged that the move was not unconnected to the attempt to frustrate the ongoing investigations into corruption allegations levelled against the National Chairman of APC and former Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

Rafsanjani said: “To truly establish a flourishing democracy, transparency and accountability must be strictly adhered to in governance. This requires holding politicians accountable for their actions and inactions, strengthening institutions to combat corruption, and ensuring that the allocation of resources is done fairly and equitably. Only through these measures can Nigeria overcome its socio-economic challenges and build a democracy that truly serves the interests of the citizens.”

Stressing the need for adequate resource allocation to the anti-corruption agencies, Rafsanjani said the government needed to prioritise adequate funding and support for anti-corruption agencies to prevent corruption and promote accountability.

He noted that through this, the present administration would demonstrate its commitment to fighting corruption.