A political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of
the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, has accused the
leadership of the Minority Caucus of the National Assembly of
unnecessary silence and indifference amid allegations of corruption
against top government officials and some heads of Ministries,
Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of Government.
Frank specifically said that the recent allegations of corruption
against the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice,
Abubakar Malami, the suspended acting chairman of the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu and stolen crude worth
$2.5billion from the nation’s oil giant ought to have caught the
attention of the minority caucus if nothing was fishing.
He noted that Magu now suspended and being investigated, had levelled
multiple accusations of alleged corruption against the AGF, Malami, over
recovered assets and called on the presidential panel and the
Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission
(ICPC) to investigate the AGF.
One of Magu’s lawyers, Tosin Ojaomo, had reportedly referred to a media
report linking Malami to the alleged illegal sale of recovered assets,
the sale of vessels, among others for which he (Malami) had threatened
legal action against the news medium that reported his alleged
complicity.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja, Fank
revealed that a motion expected to be read before the Eid-el-Kabir
festivities was submitted to the minority caucus of the National
Assembly but no action was taken by the members.
Frank said he is in possession of reliable intelligence that the AGF had
prevailed on the leadership of the National Assembly minority caucus,
especially in the House of Representatives, to drop a motion ought to
have been moved on the need to probe his (Malami) activities since 2015.
The Bayelsa-born political activist, however demanded that the minority
caucus under Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, should break its silence and quickly
act like a vibrant opposition voice in the National Assembly.
Frank said: “We have watched keenly the performances of the opposition
caucus in the National Assembly and it has been nothing to write home
about.
“Opposition lawmakers are the voice of the voiceless but the supposed
voices in the National Assembly appear to have lost their voice to
intimidation, fear and personal gains.
“I hereby call on the Hon. Elumelu not to compromise the trust reposed
in him as the leader of opposition in the House of Representatives.
“Now that Ndudi’s party (PDP) has pardoned him and recognized his
minority leadership of the House, it is a responsibility he must
justify.
“Opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly should know that
Nigerians are watching them on how they will distinguish themselves
among the rubber stamp members of the hallowed chamber.
“The emerging corruption allegations especially as they affect the
Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, must be brought to
the limelight by the opposition lawmakers, the stolen fund in the NNPC
should not also be swept under the carpet, among other allegations of
corruption rocking the APC’s administration.”
The outspoken activist asked the Elumelu minority caucus’ leadership to
immediately call for a Public Hearing and propel the National Assembly
to embark on thorough investigation of all the allegations against some
top members of the President, General Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
He also called on reputable Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), known
human rights activists, Labour unions and student bodies not to keep
quiet any longer on the malfeasance of the present administration.
He added that posterity will not forgive those who are deliberately
keeping quiet and refuse to speak out for the betterment of Nigeria at
this critical juncture in the nation’s history.