Oluwakemi Rufai, Councillor representing Ward C1 of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area, Lagos State, is dead.
Rufail died barely two weeks after she was sworn- in as a Lawmaker for the Council.
The only Female Councillor in the Council, she passed on after a brief illness according to family sources.
Her passing was confirmed by the Chairmen of the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, Sesan Olowa, and his Lekki Local Council Development Area, LCDA, counterpart, Rasaki Kasali, on Wednesday.
In separate statements, both Council Chairmen expressed shock over the new Female Councillor ’s death, and described it as a shock to them.
The Chairmen disclosed that Rufai was pronounced dead by medical experts Tuesday, a development that has affected both Councils considering her contribution to the ruling Party, All Progressives Congress, APC, and grassroots development in the State.
“President Tinubu is my friend, I have no apologies to offer to anyone on that” – Soludo
The All Progressive Congress APC candidate for the Anambra Governoship polls which comes up on November 8, Prince Nicolas Ukachukwu, has dismissed Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s visit to the Presidential with President Bola Tinubu,as neither here nor there.
But Soludo, who wore President Tinubu’s insignia during the visit, making the most out of it. He is flaunting it.
Speaking to Reporters on his way out of the Villa, after the visit which he said he was very happy about, Governor Soludo flaunted his close relationship with the President and said he had no apologies to offer anybody on that. He disclosed that he and Tinubu have been close friends for 22 solid years, and added that it was not hidden that both of them are together and that he was working for the President’s reelection in 2027, a pledge he had made during the President’s visit to Anambra State. He said he was in the camp of the Progressives and all working together. Soludo, also worked for then Candidate Tinubu in the 2023 Presidential Election.
However, Ukachukwu, in a statement insisted that Soludo, “as a drowning person, no amount of window-dressing campaigns and photograph with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will save him from being humiliated out of office” come November 8 2025.
The Source reports that the Anambra State Governor who is seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance APGA on Tuesday August 12,visited the President at the State House in Abuja ,in what not a few have perceived as a “Save Our Soul” SOS mission .
Wearing the President Tinubu’s trademark dollar-inscripted cap, Governor Soludo emerged from the meeting exhuming a somewhat new found confidence, insisting that he has no regrets identifying with the President.
While emphasizing his long term personal relationship with the President , Soludo reaffirmed his determination to work in concert with Tinubu ,in keeping with their earlier resolution to harness all progressive forces ,ahead of 2027 .
However, his visit to the President amidst an unprecedented surge in opposition threats to his re-election bid has been widely seen as a last minute effort to save his political future.
But in a statement from Okechukwu Modebe his spokesperson, the APC gubernatorial hopeful described Governor Soludo’s visit to the Presidential Villa as an eloquent sign of desperation and anxiety.
Ukachukwu dismissed the visit as a fruitless venture, noting that the major concern of President Tinubu is to secure Anambra state for the APC.
According to him, no amount of favour-currying visits will save Governor Soludo from a crushing defeat , in the face of the monumental disaster that his time in the saddle has regrettably become.
The APC candidate noted that the Anambra State Governor after squandering his chances of impacting on the lives of the people is now running helter-sketer in search of an off-the-field assistance.
This is as the party , reaffirmed its unwavering commitment towards winning the November 8 Governorship election .
The APC candidate expressed the optimism that the party will commence its victory party with the August 16 Senatorial by-election in Anambra South.
” We saw the ridiculous statement credited to APGA, and its unpopular candidate jubilating over a mere visit to the Commander-in-Chief,and President of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This has further vindicated our position that the Governor is fast losing relevance amongst the Anambra electorate.
“No amount of posing for the cameras with Mr President will save Governor Soludo from this impending doom because he has ,for the past three years, misgoverned our State.
“This political stunt with the name of Mr President also points to the fact that APGA and its candidate are exhibiting.the last kick of a dying horse.
“We don’t make noise; we are rather focused. We have done our underground work and connected with the grassroots ahead of the election, and we in APC shall be taking the Anambra’ South Senatorial Zone by-election as a litmus test to show APGA and Governor Soludo how unpopular.they have become in the state” the APC flag bearer insisted.
Although, Governor Soludo was silent on the issue of the forthcoming Anambra gubernatorial polls while briefing the media after his visit to the President, this medium gathered that the issue of alleged plans to manipulate the exercise in favour of the APC featured prominently during the visit.
According to our source, Governor Soludo has been very uncomfortable with various reports suggesting that plans have been concluded to declare APC victorious,at all cost.
The APC candidate himself, at a rally last weekend boasted that the party will use the forthcoming election to show the world who truly is control of things in Anambra’ state.
His consistent boastful mien, is said to be accentuating speculations that the APC is set to clinch victory at all cost.
As the electorate prepare for Saturday’s bye-election in Kano State, political parties have signed a peace accord to ensure a hitch-free and violence-free conduct of the by-election.
The agreement was reached during a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the State Police Command at the Commissioner’s office, Bompai headquarters.
A statement by the Command’s spokesperson, SP Abdullahi Haruna, revealed that the meeting brought together candidates and leaders of political parties contesting in the re-run election for Ghari/Tsanyawa State Constituency and the bye-election for Bagwai/Shanono State Constituency.
“In preparation for the upcoming re-run election for Ghari/Tsanyawa State Constituency and Bye-election for Bagwai/Shanono State Constituency, scheduled to take place on Saturday, the 16th of August 2025, the Kano State Police Command convened a stakeholders meeting with the candidates and leaders of various political parties today, 12th August 2025.
“The gathering is aimed at fostering peace, security, and adherence to electoral laws, both before and during the elections.
“During the meeting, a Peace Accord was signed by all parties in attendance, committing to a peaceful and violence-free conduct throughout the electoral process.”
The Commissioner of Police, Ibrahim Bakori, urged stakeholders to strictly adhere to the agreement and conduct their campaigns within the confines of the law, warning that “any act of lawlessness or breach of peace would be met with swift and decisive action.”
Bakori also assured residents of “adequate security deployment during the elections to ensure a safe and secure environment for voters and political parties to participate actively in the process.”
He called for maximum cooperation with security agencies to achieve what he described as a “peaceful and successful election,” reiterating the command’s commitment to maintaining law and order as well as safeguarding lives and property in the state.
The Federal Government of Nigeria [FGN] has given a soft landing to two airline passengers accused of breaching the rules in Abuja and Lagos, one of whom is currently being detained on court order.
Government stated that it has withdrawn criminal complaints against Ms. Comfort Emmanson, the Ibom Air passenger accused of unruly behaviour, and Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as KWAM 1, over recent incidents at Nigerian airports.
The reprieve came 24 hours after the Nigeria Police announced it has started a criminal investigation against Kwam 1 based on the petition and request by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA. It also came after the backlash against the Government over the arrest, arraignment in court, and detention of Ms. Emmanson at the Kirikiri Prisons, a treatment not meted to Kwam1.
The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA as well as many Nigerians, including Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 Elections, had strongly condemned the FG, the staff of the Airline and Security Personnel over the humiliation of Emmanson. The NBA, in a statement by its President offered her free legal representation.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, announced the decision to withdraw the cases in a statement on Wednesday, saying the move was taken after consultations with key stakeholders in the aviation sector and consideration of appeals from well-meaning Nigerians.
Keyamo said Ms. Emmanson, who was involved in an altercation aboard an Ibom Air flight on August 10, had shown “great remorse” during Police interrogation in the presence of her lawyer.
He confirmed that the complaint against her had been withdrawn and that the Police would work to secure her release from Kirikiri Prison this week.
He also said that the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) had agreed to lift the lifetime flying ban imposed on her, with details of the resolution to be announced by the group.
In KWAM 1’s case, Keyamo said the NCAA had reduced the artiste’s flight ban to one month and would withdraw its police complaint.
He added that the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) would engage the musician as an ambassador for airport security protocol.
Similarly, the NCAA will restore the licences of ValueJet pilot Captain Oluranti Ogoyi and co-pilot First Officer Ivan Oloba after a one-month suspension and mandatory professional reappraisal.
Not a few Nigerians insist that the FG granted reprieve to Emmanson in order not to be pressured into prosecuting Kwam1 whose offence, as said by Keyamo and the Aviation Industry, was severe in its criminal intent. They described it as “hostage taking and terrorism.”
Kwam1 enjoys a robust relationship with the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and President Bola Tinubu.
In the sacred tapestry of human governance, justice is the golden thread that binds the fabric of authority to the conscience of the governed. Without justice, leadership becomes an empty throne and law a hollow sound, echoing the emptiness of broken promises. As Scripture affirms in Psalm 89:14, “Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne.” It is on this ancient truth that I stand to declare: Natasha deserves justice.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has become a symbol—perhaps unwillingly—of the intersection between political authority and moral courage. She has spoken with the candor of one who believes that leadership is not about the preservation of personal comfort but about the protection of collective integrity. In this, she has embodied the courage that democracy demands.
The recent developments surrounding her in the Nigerian Senate have left a bitter taste in the mouths of those who still believe in fair play. It is not the allegations alone that trouble the soul; it is the process by which her voice risks being muffled in the very chamber sworn to uphold the people’s mandate.
We must understand that when a legislator is wronged, it is not merely an individual that suffers. A legislator carries the weight of a constituency—its dreams, its pains, its expectations. To treat Natasha unjustly is, by extension, to rob her constituents of the dignity of representation.
It matters little whether one stands in agreement or disagreement with her methods. The essence of justice is not agreement but fairness. Even the adversary is entitled to a fair hearing. This is what separates democracy from the jungle, and civilization from barbarity.
If the Nigerian Senate allows the voices of dissent or of minority opinion—particularly from women—to be extinguished by the mechanics of power, then we are no longer building a nation; we are fashioning a cage where the free spirit of representation can no longer breathe.
Political vendetta dressed in procedural clothing is still vendetta. The gavel was not made to silence the truth; it was made to guide its expression. If the gavel becomes an instrument of suppression, then the chamber ceases to be a sanctuary for the people’s voice.
Justice for Natasha is not an appeal for sympathy; it is a call to safeguard the moral architecture of our Republic. If today it is Natasha, tomorrow it may be another Senator, and eventually, it may be the very principle of free representation itself that lies in the dock.
The test of a nation’s greatness is not in how it treats its powerful but in how it treats those who stand in the crosswinds of controversy. If we can guarantee justice in moments of political tension, then we can claim the moral right to call ourselves a democracy.
The leadership of the Senate must remember that power is not merely an instrument of governance—it is a trust. Those entrusted with the gavel must wield it as stewards of truth, not as proprietors of personal advantage.
Let this matter be subjected to a transparent and impartial inquiry, free from the poisonous breath of political intrigue. Let Nigerians see in this episode not another theatre of personal feuds, but a demonstration that our legislative house still stands as the people’s fortress.
In the chambers of governance, truth and mercy must walk hand in hand. As the prophet Micah declared, “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” This is as relevant to a nation’s Senate as it is to the humblest village square.
History will judge us not only by the laws we pass but by the justice we uphold when it is costly to do so. It will remember not only the words spoken in public but the silences kept in moments when truth was inconvenient.
Justice for Natasha is, in essence, justice for us all. It is the assurance that when we send our representatives into the hallowed halls of governance, they will be treated not as pawns in the game of power, but as trustees of the people’s sacred voice. And if we fail in this, the verdict of history will be unforgiving, and the shame eternal.
Elder Amah, a frequent commentator of current issues, writes from Umuahia, Abia State
The suspension order slammed on Godfrey Chikwere, the General Manager of a private media outfit, the Legacy Radio, Ebonyi State, has been lifted .
A statement by the Management of the broadcasting outfit on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, informed that Chikwere is to resume duties immediately.
The Source reports that Chikwere was on Saturday August 9 , controversially suspended, indefinitely, over his alleged scathing criticism of the person and Government of Governor Francis Nwifuru.
He was said to have during a talk show anchored by him, strongly condemned Governor Nwifuru over his perceived weakness, which he noted has been at the root of many Commissioners ,and Government appointees disregarding his authorities.
Chikwere’s attack came on the heels of the suspension of no fewer than 87 appointees by the Governor, including 25 Commissioners, 14 Senior Special Assistants, 24 Special Assistants, and 22 Permanent Secretaries for acts of insubordination.
A statement from Monday Uzor, the Governor’s spokesperson noted that the appointees were sanctioned for wilfully disobeying the Governor’s directives to join the Deputy Governor in representing him at a special Government event , while he was out of the State.
According to Uzor, that was not the first time the appointees will be exhibiting such attitude towards the Governor.
Although the suspension of the Government officials was to last for a month, they were recalled within a few days, a development that led many people, including Chikwere, to berate the Governor for not being firm enough in the leadership of the State.
Although, speculations were rife that Governor Nwifuru may have influenced Chikwere’s suspension, using his close and personal and political relationship with Senator Obinna Ogba, the proprietor of the Radio Station, the Management insisted that it was purely an in-house displinary action.
In a statement on Monday August 11, 2025 , Senator Ogba vehemently distanced Governor Nwifuru from Chikwere’s travails.
He insisted that the suspension was informed by his flagrant disregard for the Code of Conduct governing the operations of the media outfit.
” I warned him severally on the non-adherence to the Station’s Code of Conduct and now I can not bear it any longer . Chikwere’, therefore, had to make way .
” I feel so bad to hear that Governor Nwifuru directed the suspension of Chikwere, because it amounts to an insult on my person”, Senator Ogba.stated.
The sudden lifting of the indefinite suspension was said to have been a direct consequence of the huge back lash suffered both by the owner and Management of the Radio Station over the development.
In addition to being very much popular with a significant part of the Radio Station’s audience, Chikwere’s submissions and assessment of Governor Nwifuru and his administration were said to have deeply resonated with the people.
Existential Issues Are Non-issues: As an Assistant Editor in The African Guardian in 1994, I was working on a cover story on the state of the nation. I had put a call across to former Lagos State governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande (LKJ) for his perspectives on some of the issues of the day.
The pre-eminent statesman (bless his soul) left me with a nugget I still hold dear, more than 30 years after that interview.
He said, Steve, all these seemingly impossible and intractable problems we are grappling with in Nigeria can be fixed in just six months by good leadership and sound governance.
He said further that, because we haven’t had good leaders in a long while, that’s why we seem to be bedeviled by these mere existential issues that can easily be fixed with dedicated governance and good sense.
I have refrained from quoting Baba LKJ directly because I don’t have his exact words anymore but these are essentially his thoughts that have remained with me over these decades and which I have chewed over and over for so long.
Let me confess upfront that I had a special love for LKJ who we fondly called Baba Kekere. And even when he misstepped by serving the Sani Abacha junta, it didn’t diminish my admiration for him.
LIKE LKJ, LIKE PETER OBI: LKJ was speaking from a place of knowledge and hands-on experience. It took him four years as the first civilian governor of Lagos State (1979 to 1983) to transform and impact Lagos in a manner no other governor has done since after him.
Only Babatunde Fashola (2007 – 2015) came close to imbuing such a ramifying impact on the sprawling city state but he had all of eight years to work.
This piece, of course, stems from the uproar that rented the air last week following Peter Obi’s wager that he would need only four years if elected president of Nigeria.
Many Nigerians, especially from the opposition corner (please note that the ruling APC has unwittingly become an opposition party to Peter Obi) went berserk, rolling out against Peter, their well-oiled arsenal of calumny manned by a half-educated horde.
They are calling him an opportunistic trader who thinks governance is buying and selling! But many of them have become dyed-in-the-wool acolytes of corrupt old guard politicians. They are so ingrained in Nigeria’s noxious old ways that they don’t know the difference between good and bad. They only know what works for their personal interest.
THE LKJ MAGIC: While, LKJ didn’t expatiate much during our telephone conversation, he mentioned such traits as leadership by personal example, putting the right people in the right positions, getting priorities right, fortifying state institutions and cranking systems to function optimally.
Alhaji Lateef Jakande
You may add prudent management of resources and political will to drive change.
LKJ was speaking from a very deep place. Those who saw him at work as Lagos State governor can corroborate his assertions. Known as the ‘Action Governor’, Jakande was like a reconstructive whirlwind raging through every corner of Lagos.
No street was left un-tarred. Let’s repeat that for the avoidance of doubt: NO STREET IN LAGOS WAS LEFT UN-TARRED by LKJ!
Of course, he created an additional 23 LGAs, not to siphon funds as we have seen since 1999, but to get governance to the grassroots. And every grassroot was touched by Jakande – again, that’s not a metaphor, it happened in Lagos.
As already stated, Jakande’s legacy in Lagos in just four years remains unmatched till today. Imagine 13 massive low-income housing estates spread across Lagos! We haven’t seen such a quantum of houses since after LKJ.
To make sure every child was compulsorily in school, he created morning and afternoon school sessions first, then went ahead to build ‘rapid response’ classrooms never seen before and never seen again since his time.
He annexed private and faith-based secondary schools, so every child of primary and secondary school age was in school – for free.
And it didn’t matter if you were Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba. He himself was an indigene of Omu-Aran, Kwara State. He actually reassured all residents during his inauguration that Lagos was home for all!
He built the Lagos State University (LASU).
This singular article cannot contain LKJ’s legacy earned in only four years as governor of Lagos State.
TWEAK THE SYSTEM AND THINGS WILL FALL IN PLACE: The Jakande mindset is what Obi has been preaching for some years but the old guard and their digital media army would rather shut him down.
Obi says corruption is mitigated by 50 percent if the president (head) and his family don’t have their hands in the public till. If your leader is not stealing you would think twice before you stole.
What we have seen since 1999 till date is a bazaar of Presidents, wives and their children looting the treasury like pirates!
Obi said he will appoint only the best minds from across the country. Merit, inclusion, and people of integrity to run the country.
Today we see people who have looted in their states, who are under EFCC investigations, yet they are appointed into the federal cabinet as ministers.
Yet we wonder why the country isn’t working. It can never work!
Obi is saying he will set priorities. For him, electricity is priority, agriculture and manufacturing productions are priorities; education and health are priorities… in that order.
LET’S DISCUSS PRODUCTION: since President Tinubu took office about two years ago, we have had at least six cycles of natural, rain-fed maize production.
Yet Nigeria still imports maize and grain-based animal feeds. Our poultry and fish production still suffer from inadequate maize meals. Growing maize and other grains to consolidate our agriculture value chains can’t be rocket science.
In one year, under a thinking leader and with our priorities right, Nigeria can move from a maize importer to an exporter. It’s the same for cooking oils (which we still import), cassava products, milk, rice, etc.
This is what Obi means by production. None of this is rocket science, it’s just about priorities, political will and doing the requisite work.
FINALLY: So those who think four years is too short a time to turnaround a country’s fortunes should take a look at what the Argentine President Javier Milei achieved in less than two years.
The bottom line is that a president who can’t make an impact in four years may never be able to do so in 80 years!
Osuji was editor and columnist in major Nigerian newspapers.
The All Progressive Congress, APC, Abia State Chapter, has voiced its opposition to any plans by State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, to join the party either now ,or in the future.
The party described the Abia State Governor as a liability not welcome into its fold.
The Source reports that like in most Southern states of the Country , speculations have been rife that Governor Otti may be considering defecting to the APC alongside most of his counterparts from the region in the countdown to the 2027 general elections.
But at a Media Briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, the Abia State stakeholders of the APC under the aegis of “The Abia Best Interest Association”, noted that nobody in the party in the state is willing.to dine with Governor Otti.
Convener of the Forum, Eze Chikamnayo, the immediate past Commissioner for Information under the Dr Okezie Ikpeazu-led Peoples Democratic party, PDP, administration, also accused Governor Otti of undermining President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, the Abia State Governor has been working against the interest of the President while at the same time creating the impression that he is supporting him as a friend.
This is as he lamented the abysmal level of development, in the state , despite over N 300 billion which has accrued to Abia from President Tinubu’s reforms.
“As we speak, over N300 billion has come from President Tinubu’s reforms into the coffers of the Abia State Government, but all the 17 Local Government Areas of the state are presently grounded, castrated and completely insolvent.
“We don’t want him (Governor Otti) to join APC, and we are not ready to receive such a liability into our party. That is what we are saying.
“Nobody in Abia APC wants anything called Alex Otti. He is a liability”, Chikamnayo stated.
The former PDP chieftain expressed concern over the way and manner Abia State resources are being managed under the Governor Otti administration.
“In fact, we are wondering.why there are still nothing tangible on the ground to show for the huge resources accruing to the state particularly in the area of Education, unlike the situation in Imo and Enugu States where their Governments have rebuilt , modernized and equipped public schools with visible results for all to see .
“Here in Abia, we have been demanding to see the much-publicized schools which were purportedly renovated and retrofitted with N54 billion, as published in the Abia State Budget Performance Report of 2024.
“The world over, Budget Performance reports detailed accomplished projects and the actual amount spent. But in Abia State, under Governor Otti, that is not the case”, Chikamnayo noted .
The stakeholders, therefore, emphasized the need for Abians to separately and collectively interrogate how the humongous allocations and various intervention funds accruing to the state from the Federation Accounts and Federal Government are being spent.
Justice F.N. Ogazi of the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, has restrained the Lagos State Government, its agencies, and the Nigeria Police Force from carrying out any further unlawful demolitions or evictions in the Makoko, Oko-Agbon, Sogunro, and Iwaya waterfront communities of the State.
The Judge delivering a landmark judgment in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/70/2025, granted an injunction to protect the settlements, citing the “continuous threat and fear of imminent demolition” faced by residents.
The Court ruled that the Government, its agents, and other respondents must cease all threats or actions aimed at displacing the communities.
The decision follows years of tension between the waterfront residents—predominantly Gunuvi (Egun) fisherfolk—and the State Government, which has been accused of forcefully acquiring the land for Private Development without compensation or resettlement plans.
According to Counsel for the Community, Barrister Femi F. Dodo, the State allocated the disputed land to FBT Coral Limited for the construction of Luxury Apartments, jeopardizing the livelihoods and heritage of the indigenous people.
Justice Ogazi also awarded the sum of ₦3.5 Billion in damages against the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force for previous demolitions, ongoing threats, and the unlawful killing of a Community leader.
The judgment further restrains police from harassing Local Fishermen carrying out their traditional work on the Lagos Lagoon.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), has insisted that every corruption allegation deserves to be investigated and there is no constraint of time and season in criminal investigations.
Reacting to remarks by the coalition African Democratic Congress (ADC) and some opposition figures concerning handling of corruption cases, the Commission explained that it has been circumspect and dispassionate in the exercise of its mandate.
“If I am not condemned for investigating both former and serving strong ruling party Governors and Ministers, I should not be condemned for also investigating opposition figures,” Commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, was quoted as saying.
Dele Oyewale, Head, Media & Publicity of the EFCC, in a statement on Tuesday, maintained that remarks which greeted the arrest of the former Governor of Sokoto state, Aminu Tambuwal are “clearly self-serving, diversionary, narrow and idle.
“The African Democratic Congress, ADC’s unprovoked attack on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, concerning its handling of cases involving politically exposed persons from every divide, came as a rude shock and unwarranted blame game.
“Every objective and discerning watcher of events in the national political scene, would admit that the Commission has been circumspect and dispassionate in the exercise of its mandate.
“The ADC’s claims that ‘Opposition Coalition have received EFCC summons that are clearly politically motivated. These are not fresh cases arising from new evidence, but new files opened in reaction to emergent political affiliations to intimidate key opposition figures,’ are clearly self-serving, diversionary, narrow and idle.
“The question is, what determines ‘fresh cases’ and old cases? Every corruption allegation deserves to be investigated and there is no constraint of time and season in criminal investigations.
“Available records in our courts showed that several political figures of all divide are answering charges of alleged economic and financial crimes and other acts of corruption.
“It is also public knowledge that the EFCC is busy investigating some key figures of the ruling party owing to allegations of corrupt practices.
“Besides, many serving state governors of various political colouration are on the investigative radar of the Commission.
“The Commission will not be blackmailed into making full disclosures of its discreet investigations of any state or non-state actor, no matter the provocation.
“The ADC was right to have admitted that ‘The EFCC does not belong to the APC. It belongs to the Nigerian people. It is funded by taxpayers, not the ruling party.’ Nothing can be farther from this truth.
“The ADC and other political groups should focus on their partisan activities and allow the Commission to carry out her mandate.
“Nothing will make an innocent person answer any charge from the EFCC. The ‘opposition figures’ the ADC is trying unsuccessfully to white-wash, know in their hearts that they have issues that necessitated their invitations by the Commission.
“The immunity against any investigation by the EFCC is accountability and probity. Fraud is fraud. Corruption is corruption. There is no sacred cow, protected interest or partisan consideration in the investigation and prosecution of corruption.
“The EFCC will continue to do its job and all well-meaning Nigerians are enjoined to ignore political statements meant to heat up the polity and divert attention from the pillage of the national treasury.”
Senator Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and a former two-time Governor of Sokoto State, was detained by the EFCC on Monday, August 11, when he went to its Abuja head office on invitation, in connection with alleged money laundering to the tune of N187billion when he was in office as Governor.
