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By Nasir Kura
President Muhammadu Buhari said on Thursday that the proclamation of Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at a rally in Kano would not affect the current fight against corruption in the country.
Responding to claims that his association with Ganduje would diminished his commitment to the war against corruption, the president said there is a difference between perception and reality.
A statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, saidGanduje, as a sitting governor, enjoys immunity from prosecution in his own right.
“Furthermore, under Nigerian laws, a suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. In the circumstances, the matter is in court and the President has no power to dictate to the court or the Kano State House of Assembly, which is already investigating the matter, about what to do with the allegations against Ganduje,” the statement said.
The statement said it is unfair to ignore the larger picture of the president’s major successes in the war against corruption, including blocking leakages of corruption, which in turn, boosted government revenues.
The statement challenged the president’s critics to prove that those facing corruption allegations are innocent, adding that the president’s zero tolerance for corruption has improved the country’s image in the eyes of world leaders.
The statement cited a number of high profile prosecution of senior government officials and a former state governor who is an APC member and now serving jail term as indications of will and determination to wage the anti-corruption war without fear or favour.
The statement said the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Mr Usman Yusuf, is currently on administrative leave as part of the president’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
According to the statement, some of the suspects are close to the president, and he had not shielded them from investigation, administrative suspensions and prosecution.
The statement said it is sheer mischief to suggest that the president is shielding anybody because of their closeness to him, explaining that no official under this administration would go unpunished once they break the law.
