Ribadu Campaign Organisation Asks Jonathan To Kick Out Attorney General

The Nuhu Ribadu Campaign Organisation is calling for the outright removal of the Attorney-General and Chief Justice of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke, over his obvious lack of commitment on the fight against corruption.

The Director, Media and Communications of the campaign organisation, Ibrahim Modibbo, in press statement made available to PM NEWS this afternoon said, “President Goodluck Jonathan cannot be going around in his campaign, promising to fight corruption when his principal justice officer continually acts at variance to the will of good governance. We therefore call on President Jonathan to Remove Adoke now.”

This call is coming in the heels of a petition by 10 civil society groups, mounting pressure on the presidency to back its promise of fighting corruption with action.

The Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Awwal Musa Rafsanjani, had on Monday in Abuja addressed a press conference where he stated: “Adoke has flagrantly violated sections 15(5) and 174 (3) of the 1999 Constitution when he set out to withdraw several cases on economic crimes against the public interest.”

Prominent amongst these cases are the Halliburton Bribe scandal, the National Electricity Regulatory Commissioners scandal, the trial of Kenny Martins handled by Festus Keyamo, for embezzling Police Equipment Fund, the Siemens scandal and many others. In each instance, corruption charges were dropped and accused persons absolved of various allegations – for no good reason.

Some of these international cases, Mr. Modibbo stated, were initiated by the EFCC and the international community took action, prosecuted and convicted their own citizens who were involved. “But the AGF thought otherwise,” he said.

“His action cannot be excused; our people live in extreme poverty. A World Bank report indicates that over 80 per cent of oil revenue benefits only one percent of the population and it attributes this to corruption. If therefore, the Jonathan government is truly sincere about providing good governance, it must fight corruption to a standstill so that our people will eventually smile as their resources would be judiciously used in providing dividend of democracy,” said Modibbo.

The Campaign Organisation alleged that its investigations revealed that the Minister’s office has consistently absolved highly placed people in the society of corruption charges and the campaign organization believes that this will further encourage corruption in the society: “If no immediate action is taken to address this issue of damaging consequence, we will be left with no alternative than to conclude that Jonathan’s campaigns against corruption are empty rhetoric that begin and end on the pages of the newspapers.

“Balance, equity and justice in a society can only be achieved when good is rewarded and evil is punished. The path that the Federal Government is towing is sending the wrong signal to the people and is encouraging gross theft of our common weal, as people now think that anyone can get away with flagrant corruption in as much as he/ she holds the Umbrella,” Modibbo said.