Ize-Iyamu: Sack Your Governors, Senators Facing Corruption Charges, Presidency Tells PDP

The Presidency says the Peoples Democratic party must sack its governors and senators facing charges of corruption before criticising President Muhammadu Buhari’s endorsement of Edo governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congresss, Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

The president had on Friday endorsed Ize-Iyamu as the candidate of the APC in the Sept. 19 governorship election in Edo.

Ize-Iyamu is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alongside Lucky Imasuen, former deputy governor of Edo, Chief Dan Orbih, PDP Chairman in Edo, and other leaders of the party in the state over a N700million case.

Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, however, condemned the attack launched by the PDP against the president following Friday’s endorsement.

According to the presidential aide, under the country‘s laws, only the courts can convict, and a suspect remains one until conviction.

Shehu called on the PDP to withdraw the governorship nominations it gave to Ahmadu Fintiri and Bala Mohammed of Adamawa and Bauchi States respectively who were facing charges bordering on corruption before their elections in 2019.

He maintained that the PDP had no moral authority to attack the anti-corruption war of the Buhari administration because of Friday’s endorsement of Ize-Iyamu.

The statement read in part: ”The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, which has been struggling to clear its name from alleged deals with the underworld in Dubai and the United States has, to our surprise, found the voice to attack the anti-corruption war of the Muhammadu Buhari administration following the president’s endorsement of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the All Progressives Congress, APC’s dashing candidate for the governorship election in Edo State.”

”Forgetting its own history and antecedents, the PDP said in a garrulous statement that “the President ought to have been aware that the candidate is standing trial for corruption,” and then went on rant against the government’s war against corruption, alleging its failure.

”Let PDP first withdraw the governorship nominations it gave to Ahmadu Fintiri and Bala Mohammed of Adamawa and Bauchi States respectively, before it opens its mouth and talk on the efforts of this administration in fighting corruption.”

“Or else, it should shut its mouth forever and leave us to do what it dares not attempt. Both PDP governors were actually on bail from criminal trial on several counts of fraud and embezzlement.”

“Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Friday, July 1, 2016 granted bail to the former acting governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.”