Uche Secondus, national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is now a fighting tool for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Ike Abonyi, media aide to the PDP chairman, quoted Secondus as saying this in a statement on Thursday.
The PDP chairman alleged that the EFCC has deployed its operatives to harass contractors handling projects in some PDP states with the motive of frustrating their project goals “which have visibly placed them far ahead of the colleagues in APC states”.
He said anti-graft agency is “beclouded by its bias” and has refused to heed the advisories from well meaning Nigerians and international watchers including the recent one from the Paul Arkwright, British high commissioner to Nigeria.
“According to the high commissioner, ‘INEC and EFCC should be there to preserve the integrity of the political process, including taking investigations without prejudice on one side or the other’. The Commission rather than listen to such counsel, has instead made themselves a willing tool to assist the drowning APC ahead of 2019 general elections,” the statement read.
“Rather than encourage states who are seriously involved in the delivery of democracy dividend to their people, the envious ruling APC has been conniving with the relevant agencies to be harassing contractors ostensibly to frustrate and slow them down in their development strides.
“Contractors in Taraba and Rivers states as well as other PDP states are being harassed by EFCC operatives and are being arm twisted to implicate PDP leaders. Intelligence is available to the party that the ruling party and the federal government have resolved to ensure that PDP states are permanently put on their toes so as not to get their bearing ahead of 2019.
“It would be clear to the world and discerning minds that PDP governors are doing fantastic jobs executing projects that touch the lives of their people unlike their APC counterparts. In some states like Taraba where projects have been halted as a result of EFCC meddlesomeness, the unemployment situation has worsened.”
Secondus said there won’t not be meaningful result in the fight against corruption in an atmosphere of bias and double standards from anti-graft agencies.
“The anti graft agencies which was indeed set up by the PDP administration to tackle the corruption vice in our system independent of the ruling government has made themselves a willing tool in the hands of the APC,” he said.
“PDP state governors [should] remain undaunted and refuse to be intimidated in the service of their people.”
When contacted, Wilson Uwujaren, spokesman of the EFCC, said he had not seen the statement and could not respond.
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