The Selective Vision – When Corruption is Only Seen in Opposition Colours
The APC’s anti-corruption binoculars appear to possess a rather peculiar lens: one that magnifies alleged wrongdoing when committed by opposition figures but conveniently blurs or completely ignores similar infractions by those within its own fold. This selective vision has given rise to a cynical joke whispered in the corridors of power: that the easiest way for a politician with a checkered past to clean their slate is not through the courts, but through a defection certificate and a loyalty pledge to the ruling party.
Let’s continue from our previous edition, and cast our gaze on a few more examples where the APC’s anti-corruption rhetoric meets the stark reality of its internal mechanisms:
Babachir Lawal: From Grass-Cutting Scandal to Grand Campaigner
Remember the “grass-cutting” scandal? It involved Babachir Lawal, who served as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) – a high-profile appointee under President Buhari himself. Lawal was accused by a Senate committee of complicity in a ₦223 million contract fraud related to the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE), specifically for allegedly cutting grass in IDP camps. The outrage was palpable, the evidence seemingly damning.
Following public outcry and a committee report (chaired by then-Vice President Osinbajo), Lawal was eventually dismissed by President Buhari in October 2017. A clear sign of accountability, one might think? Not quite. Despite his public dismissal for corruption and ongoing EFCC probes, Lawal remained a prominent and influential figure within the APC. He was a key strategist and campaigner for President Buhari’s re-election bid in 2019. It seems being fired for alleged corruption doesn’t necessarily mean you’re out of the inner circle; sometimes it just means a temporary reassignment, especially if you’re deemed politically useful. The EFCC’s investigation into his case has continued at a snail’s pace, often out of public view, leading many to question if a “prosecution” is merely a bureaucratic formality rather than a genuine pursuit of justice for those “within.”
Rotimi Amaechi: Rivers’ Indictment, Federal Immunity?
Rotimi Amaechi, former Rivers State Governor and a foundational member of the APC, became a super-minister under President Buhari, holding the powerful portfolio of Transportation. While he was a staunch critic of the PDP government he left, his past wasn’t entirely pristine. A Rivers State judicial commission of inquiry, set up by his successor Governor Nyesom Wike, indicted him for alleged misappropriation of ₦97 billion. Amaechi challenged this indictment, taking it all the way to the Supreme Court, where he eventually lost.
Yet, despite a state-level indictment and the Supreme Court upholding the right of the state to investigate him, federal anti-graft agencies like the EFCC and ICPC remained remarkably silent. No public statements of active investigations, no high-profile arrests, nothing akin to the zeal shown for opposition figures. It’s almost as if federal anti-corruption agencies are legally blind to corruption within the ranks of high-ranking APC officials, particularly when they hold strategic ministerial positions. One might conclude that for some, the shield of federal power within the APC is thicker than any judicial panel’s report.
Abdulaziz Yari: The Paris Club Refund Puzzle That Never Ends
Finally, let’s consider Abdulaziz Yari, former Zamfara State Governor, also a prominent APC member. He’s been embroiled in an EFCC dispute over the alleged diversion of ₦700 million from the Paris Club refund, with an interim forfeiture order placed on ₦500 million and $500,000 linked to him. These are significant sums, and the allegations are serious.
Yet, for a case involving such an amount, the definitive conclusion remains elusive. Yari has continued to be a relevant political force within the APC, even vying for the Senate Presidency in the current dispensation. The pattern here is less about outright withdrawal, but more about perpetual legal limbo, cases that simply refuse to conclude, lingering in the background while the accused continue their political careers unimpeded. It’s a masterful display of how to manage corruption cases, not necessarily by winning them, but by simply ensuring they never truly end.
These instances paint a disquieting picture, a ruling party that promised to wage war on corruption appears to have, instead, built a comfortable sanctuary for those accused of it, especially if they are politically aligned. The “anti-corruption” campaign, therefore, rings hollow, resembling less of a genuine fight for probity and more of a strategic tool for political control and selective prosecution. For many, the “Association of Political Criminals” is no longer just a cynical jibe, but an increasingly fitting description of the APC’s true character.
To be continued…