The African Democatic Congress (ADC) has called for establishment of an independent Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the controversy surrounding Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), and the sundry allegations of bribe taking involving President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamiala.
ADC in a statement by the National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the panel which will composed of persons of unquestionable integrity, should investigate every aspect of the PFIPC affair, including summoning all government agencies linked to the activities of the council, which the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government later described as fictitious.
“The panel should have full powers to compel the production of documents, and determine the extent of any negligence, misconduct, collusion, abuse of office, and criminal wrongdoing involved in this case,” the party stated.
ADC noted that based on the presidency’s own statement, and the documentary evidence already in the public domain, about 10 government institutions, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Police Force, have been identified to had been involved in the activities of the PFIPC.
“This is no longer a matter involving one individual. It is a matter that goes to the heart of the security and integrity of the Nigerian state under the Tinubu government,” ADC stated.
It added that if indeed the PFIPC was a fictitious organisation as claimed by the Federal Government, “Nigerians deserve to know how a fictitious organisation allegedly secured recruitment approvals, budgetary allocations, official correspondence, diplomatic engagements, interactions with federal institutions, and recognition across multiple arms of government.
“Similarly, if contrary to the presidency’s position, the PFIPC is not a fictitious organisation, then Nigerians deserve to know why the government has decided to publicly disown a legitimate agency of government as way of defending one of its official on the serious allegations of bribery.”
According to the party, these allegations cannot be answered by press statements, selective denials, or criminal prosecutions alone, adding that only a truly independent judicial inquiry could establish the facts, identify those responsible, and restore public confidence in the integrity of our institutions.
ADC noted that the damage that the PFIPC scandal has done to the integrity of Nigeria’s public institutions is incalculable.
“We imagine that when next a government agency engages with the international diplomatic communities, serious questions must be lurking at the back of their minds whether the government would wake up tomorrow and deny that such agencies actually exist,” the party said.
It alleged that since coming to office, the Bola Tinubu-led APC administration has done everything to bring the country down to its moral and ethical level.
“But this appears to be the height of it.
“We therefore call on all citizens to demand that the Tinubu government must not be allowed to get away with this.
“This country will continue to exist beyond the lifespan of any administration, but the country may never recover from the damage they do to today,” ADC said.
The party wondered why the president’sChief of Staff has not been asked to step down pending the conduct of independent investigation, noting that in the case involving the allegations against former Kaduna State governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the government had no hesitation in deploying agencies such as the ICPC, the DSS, and the EFCC to go after him.
“This glaring double standard undermines public confidence and reinforces the perception that there is one standard of accountability for political opponents, and another for those within the inner circle of power,” ADC said.
