Alleged N10bn fraud: Stop the witch-hunt, PDP govs tell EFCC

The Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum has cautioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Committee against the alleged witch-hunt of the opposition.

The forum took exception to the recent invitation of party leaders which it said was based upon a spurious petition by a disgruntled former party member.

The governors stated these in a statement titled, ‘PDP Governors Forum warns EFCC against the witch-hunt of opposition parties,’ signed by the Director-General of the forum, CID Maduabum, in Abuja, on Saturday.

It read in part, “The recent invitation of officials of the PDP by the EFCC acting on a spurious petition by a disgruntled former member of PDP raises questions on the seriousness and impartiality of the anti-graft agency to do its work.

“While the PDP as a political party is accountable to its members and the general public for its actions, we are, however, concerned that the old tactics of using the EFCC to silence political opposition are creeping into our polity once again. We had expected that the EFCC under a new leadership would learn from the mistakes of its predecessors.

“It is a misplaced priority for the EFCC to abandon revelations of monumental fraud by various officials and agencies of the Federal Government to pursue the PDP which is the main opposition party doing a yeoman’s job of preventing the descent into chaos and anarchy in Nigeria.”

“Perhaps certain interests in government are worried about the increasingly assertive role the PDP is playing in calling out corruption in government and wants to weaken and silence it.”