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A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Timi Frank, has called on the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, to resign from office, accusing the anti-graft agency of deviating from its statutory mandate.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Frank alleged that the EFCC has abandoned its constitutional responsibility of fighting economic and financial crimes and is now operating as a political instrument of the ruling party.
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He argued that Olukoyede should step aside to “save” the Commission, which he claimed now conducts itself in a manner inconsistent with the laws governing its establishment.
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According to Frank, the EFCC has brought “shame and disrepute” upon itself through what he described as selective prosecution and political bargaining.
“We have unfortunately reached a point in our country where it has become difficult to distinguish between a Commission statutorily saddled with the responsibility of fighting economic and financial crimes and one that appears to operate as an arm of the ruling party,” Frank said.
The former APC spokesman further alleged that the EFCC has “recklessly abandoned its core mandate of combating corruption” and instead taken on what he described as “the role of negotiating the calculated movement of political actors from opposition parties to the ruling party.”
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Frank cited several high-profile cases to support his claims, beginning with that of former Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.
He recalled that the EFCC chairman had once publicly threatened to resign if he was not granted a free hand to prosecute former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
“Yet, after a visit to the Commission and another round of ‘discussions,’ the case no longer enjoys the same urgency or prosecution vigour,” Frank stated.
He questioned whether the EFCC chairman was unaware of constitutional principles at the time he publicly celebrated allegations against the same individual.
“One must ask: was the Chairman of the EFCC unaware of this constitutional principle at the time he was publicly singing and dancing over the alleged crimes attributed to the same individual?” he queried.
Frank also challenged the Commission to apply the same level of public defence and transparency to other high-profile suspects.
He listed former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami; former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, Godwin Emefiele; the Bauchi State Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu; and others as cases requiring similar treatment.
“The Commission should also do well to act as the spokesperson for other suspects,” he said.
Raising what he described as “fundamental questions” about the EFCC’s operations, Frank queried the apparent disparity in how cases are handled.
“Why were Godwin Emefiele and Abubakar Malami not accorded the same treatment? Is it because they are yet to decamp to the ruling party? Why has the EFCC embraced selective prosecution?” he asked.
