The All Progressives Congress, APC, has said it will not use
the criteria set by the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against
Corruption, PACAC, Itse Sagay in dealing with its members.
Sagay had alleged that the party leadership is associating
with and condoning corrupt members.
However, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam
Bolaji Abdullahi, said it will not deal with its members based on the
recommendations of the senior lawyer, while describing Sagay’s criticism as
unfair.
Abdullahi said since the PACAC boss had already stated in his
interview that he is neither a politician nor a member of the APC, he will not
be able to appreciate how the party deals with issues that have to do with
politicians.
He told Independent, “The statement credited to Prof. Sagay
accusing the party leadership of being weak and conniving with corrupt
politicians to a relatively large extent is unfair. Prof. Sagay by his own
admission said he is not a politician.
“If he is not a politician, that means he will not be able to
appreciate happenings within the political dynamics. He has a different
consideration from the considerations that we have as managers of the party.
The responsibility that he has as an adviser to the president on
anti-corruption is different from the responsibility we have to build our party
and hold it together.
“He, on his part, wants us to exclude the people he has
labeled as corrupt from the party, but the responsibility we have is to hold
the party together. Until a law court has pronounced someone guilty of a crime,
we don’t have the duty to label anyone as corrupt.
“I will be surprised if what Prof. Sagay is suggesting that
the moment he, as chairman of PACAC, labels someone as corrupt, then the party
should accept that pronouncement as a universal definition of that individual
and severe relationship with that person.
“I don’t think that will be appropriate and that does not
fall in line with our responsibility as a political party.”
Credit: Daily Post
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