Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has given the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission a seven days’ ultimatum to summon serving ministers and All Progressives Congress presidential aspirants to explain how they were able to fund the buying of the All Progressives Congress form at N100million.
Emeka Nwajiuba, Rotimi Amaechi and Chris Ngige are among the serving ministers seeking the APC presidential ticket.
The lawyer in a statement on Friday said the salaries of the ministers for four years combined cannot afford the exorbitant nomination fees charged by the APC.
Olajengbesi, who is the Principal Partner at Abuja-based law firm, Law Corridor, warned the EFCC and the ICPC that failure to summon the APC aspirants and serving government officials after seven days would attract a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He warned that the case would be pursued to its logical conclusion to rid the political system of corruption.
Olajengbesi said, “The APC is promoting the same corruption that it is claiming to fight with the outrageous cost of nomination and expression of interest forms. One is not even surprised, after all, President Muhammadu Buhari has found nothing wrong in the pardon of two former governors convicted of stealing billions of naira. APC reeks of corruption.
“By this statement, I put the EFCC and the ICPC on notice to summon and probe all APC aspirants who double as government officials who have purchased the outrageous nomination forms. Be it governors, ministers, and every one of them must explain the source of their funding and must be duly vetted by the anti-graft agencies.
“Taxpayers’ monies must not be siphoned into the pursuit of selfish ambitions by individuals who do not have the interest of common Nigerians at heart.
“I will be instituting legal action against the EFCC and the ICPC at the expiration of seven days beginning from today, April 30, 2022, upon the failure of the two anti-graft agencies to live up to their responsibilities and probe all these government officials.”
The ruling party had pegged the cost of its nomination and expression of interest forms for the presidential election at N100 million, N50 million for governorship, N20m for Senatorial and N10m for federal house of representatives.
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