Nigerians across various sectors have charged President Muhammadu Buhari to protect his legacy and sack the chairman of the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, over his alleged total disregard for rule of law.
They said with a few days to the end of his administration, President Buhari should be concerned about a functional system where there is respect for the rule of law and all actors act only in full compliance with the constitution, acts of the National Assembly and all other laws of the country.
Delegates from 158 anti-corruption Civil Society and non-governmental organisations, faith-based groups, youth, and community-based organisations, who gathered in Abuja at a one-day national conference on Sunday, noted that the anti-corruption efforts of the Buhari administration would be assessed by the conduct of key officials, especially those saddled with the responsibility of taming corruption in Nigeria.
After exhaustive deliberations by the expanded gathering with a keynote address by the Dean, Faculty of Arts, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti state, Professor Wasiu Ademola Oyedokun-Alli, and presentations from speakers, including the chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, among others.
The conference adopted a communique, which specifically expressed concern and condemned the deliberate disregard for court order allegedly by EFCC under the leadership of Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa have.
While congratulating Nigerians on the outcome of the various elections, the organisations berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for not keeping strictly to the promises made to Nigerians.
They also condemned attempts by some politicians and people of vested interests towards pushing the country dangerously to the edge of the slope, particularly the promotion of ethnic and religious divisions among Nigerians.
The communiqué said, in line with genuine concerns among informed Nigerians, “Conference restates that a convict, as Mr. Bawa is seen to be currently, according to the judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, which has not been vacated, cannot continue to preside over an important law enforcement agency like the EFCC established to fight corruption.”
