By Olakiitan Victor in Ado Ekiti
The Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately set up a probe panel to investigate the grievous bribery allegations made against the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, by Justices Sylvester Ugwuata and Nyang Okoro that he allegedly lobbied them to swing judgment against the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose at the Supreme Court.
The party stressed that the early probe becomes necessary especially now that the president has put the judiciary on test of integrity, adding that the probe of allegations against Amaechi will go to a certain extent to determine the culpability of individuals who might have been involved.
In statement by the state Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Jackson Adebayo, President Buhari should be courageous enough look into
allegations against his men if he wants Nigerian to change their opinions that his fight against corruption is selective and vindictive.
Adebayo said when judges of the highest court in the country are revealing how Amaechi had tried to influence judgment by offering them bribes which they rejected and the next thing was arrest and detention of the judges, the president should not pretend as if nothing is happening. The PDP spokesman added that the Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC) should
also come out with statements affirming or otherwise what the judges have said because they made Nigerians to believe that each time Amaechi made his clandestine approach it was reported to the CJN who is the chairman of NJC.
According to the party, this allegations can not be swept under the carpet not only because all what Amaechi was desiring to achieve was to upstage the PDP governors in Ekiti, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States but because of precedence and to redeem the image of the so called anti-curruption fight of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government at the centre.
“We are not on the side of any judge found wanting in the dispensation of his job but whoever is accused therein should also be brought to book because what is good for geese is also good for gander, in view of this the minister that has been alleged along the lines should also face trial like the judges. “
The party warned that leaving Amaechi outside of the probe would clearly vindicate those who accused him, saying that it would not only make mockery of the whole exercise but dictates that the judges were being punished for not dancing to the tune of the presidency which the transportation minister represents in this context.
PDP noted that the statements coming from APC after the revelations of the pressure from Amaechi to overturn the the elections of Fayose and
other PDP governors has elaborately indicted him in the mind of Nigerian hence the need to probe the matter to ascertain his level of culpability. “We cannot pretend to be comfortable with the unwieldy selections of
who to place on trial on the same matters by the federal government because it is an aggression against democracy and rule of law.”
