The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has rejected President Bola Tinubu’s directive for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) controversy, insisting that only an independent judicial panel can credibly probe the matter.
In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party said the scandal requires an independent inquiry and should not be treated as the actions of a single individual.
“We therefore note that President Tinubu has now accepted the central argument advanced by the ADC: that this matter requires an investigation and should not simply be explained away, as his Presidency had initially attempted to do,” the statement read.
The party argued that assigning the investigation to the ICPC, an agency under the Executive, creates the impression that the Presidency intends to investigate itself.
“A Presidency that is at the very heart of a historic scandal such as this does not have the credibility to authorise an investigation into a matter that has brought an entire country into disrepute.
“This is why the President should seize this moment as an opportunity to restore some credibility to his government by allowing an independent inquiry made up of trusted citizens. A government that is drowning in scandals cannot be trusted to investigate itself,” the party stated.
ADC also criticised the Presidency for allegedly concluding that the appointment letters and related documents in question were forged before investigations had commenced, arguing that investigators should be allowed to determine whether the documents were forged, improperly issued, fraudulently obtained or lawfully authorised.
The party further demanded that all offices linked to the Presidency, including the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President, be subjected to scrutiny and called on the President to direct his Chief of Staff to proceed on leave pending the investigation.
ADC also urged that the findings be made public.
“Transparency demands that the final report be released in full and that its recommendations be implemented without fear or favour.
“Merely announcing the outcome, or punishing a few expendable officials or scapegoats, will not satisfy a nation crying out for justice and will certainly not restore the confidence of the international community, which now views our Presidency as a den of scammers,” the party stated.
The opposition party further condemned the reported arrest ofMr Adeyemi Adeniyi’s father, describing it as intimidation and insisting that “If indeed a crime has been committed, only the suspect can be legally arrested,” the ADC said.
