PRESS STATEMENT

23rd November , 2008

RIBADU’S EXCLUSION

HEIGHT OF EXECUTIVE LAWLESSNESS

Conference of Nigeria Political Parties {CNPP} condemns the barbaric exclusion of Mallam Nuhu Ribadu from the graduating ceremony of Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies {NIPSS}, Kuru Jos; it is the height of executive lawlessness and arbitrariness.

Whereas we do not absolve Ribadu of selectivity in the discharge of his duties as EFCC’s Chairman; however we acknowledge the milestones he covered in the war against corruption in Nigeria. It is painful that since his exit from the EFCC, Yaradua regime and indeed his traducers have reduced the EFCC to a toothless Bull-dog.

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No wonder why the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Mike Aondookaar, celebrated the dismissal of EFCC’s submission in London against ex-governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, without intention to file the papers properly nor consideration for the looting of the good people of Delta State.

The barbaric exclusion of Mallam Ribadu from a course he duly completed and passed is a big deficit of the rule of law mantra of President Umaru Musa Yaradua’s regime. The exclusion exposed the inefficiency, inconsistency and clueless nature of the Yaradua regime; otherwise what on earth prompted them to send Ribadu to the course in the first place or prevented them from stopping him, when he was unlawfully demoted? A sane regime could have from the onset decided to outrightly dismiss Ribadu or transfer him back to the Force Headquarters, to avoid unnecessary embarrassment to the nation.

 The doctrine of rule of law is predicated on the equality of persons before the law and not arbitrary application of law. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu like many officers including the Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro at one time or the other was promoted above their course mates; and like President Yaradua, Ribadu was a beneficiary of ex-president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s prebendalism. It is on this premise that Ribadu anchors his law siute.

CNPP has for umpteenth time like a stuck old gramophone needle, alerted the nation of the dangerous arrival of President Yaradua, as the local despot on the bloc; yesterday Yaradua was hunting and abridging the freedom of media – closing down Channels Television, Focus programme of AIT, detention of online journalist, Jonathan Elendu, Punch Rivers State correspondent and raiding of Leadership newspapers, with utter disregard to his rule of law poetry.

CNPP consequently warns that Nigerians cannot sit idly and watch President Yaradua and his cohorts abridge the freedom of Nigerians; for freedom in the midst of abject poverty, decayed infrastructure and a nation in darkness, seems to be the only dividend of democracy Nigerians gained from a corrupt cabal, nine years in power since the return to civil rule.

 

Osita Okechukwu

National Publicity Secretary

CNPP

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