Governor’s outburst symptomatic of a drowning man – EFCC
The rift between the outgoing governor of Zamfara State, Mr. Bello Matawalle and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), gets messier by the day as the former has alleged that the commission’s chairman, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa, demanded $2 million bribe from him.
The governor made the accusation during an interview with BBC Hausa on yesterday.
He said Bawa was not sparking clean and that if he (Bawa) left office, more than 200 people would bring evidence of the bribe he collected from them.
“It is not just to always blame governors. It is not only governors who have treasury; the federal government also has.
“What does the EFCC boss do to them? As he is claiming he has evidence on governors, let him show to the world evidence of those at the federal level.
“If he exits office, people will surely know he is not an honest person. I have evidence against him. Let him vacate office.
“I am telling you, within 10 seconds, probably more than 200 people will bring evidence of the bribe he collected from them. He knows what he requested from me, but I declined.
“He requested a bribe of $2 million from me, and I have evidence of this. He knows the house we met; he invited me and told me the conditions. He told me governors were going to his office, but I did not. If I don’t have evidence, I won’t say this,” he said.
Reacting to the allegation, the commission challenged the governor to provide proof to support his claim.
Spokesman for the EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, who stated this in a statement said the commission will not be drawn into a mud fight with a suspect under investigation for corruption and unconscionable pillage of the resources of his state.
“The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has been drawn to a trending interview granted to the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, by Bello Muhammed Matawalle, governor of Zamfara State, where he allegedly made wild bribery allegations against the executive chairman of the commission, Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa
“(Mr.) Matawalle’s recourse to mudslinging is symptomatic of a drowning man clutching at straws. But despite the irritation of his phantom claims, the commission will not be drawn into a mud fight with a suspect under its investigation for corruption and unconscionable pillage of the resources of his state.
“If Matawalle will be taken seriously, he should go beyond sabre-rattling by spilling the beans – provide concrete evidence as proof of his allegations,” he said.
Recall that the EFCC had said that the governor was under investigation for alleged pocketing of N70 billion from the Zamfara State government coffers.
The EFCC said the governor allegedly siphoned the state’s funds sourced as a loan from an old-generation bank purportedly for the execution of projects in local governments in the state.
The commission said the governor used proxies who posed as contractors for the projects and got paid but did not execute the projects.
Reacting, the governor called on the EFCC not to be chasing the governors alone and challenged the agency to extend its probe to the presidency and the federal executive council.
He also condemned a situation in which Bawa, according to him, assumed the trio roles of the plaintiff, prosecutor and jury.
Besides, he challenged the EFCC chairman to come clean about allegations of corruption, high-handedness and abuse of office
“I demand that the EFCC chair extend similar invitations to officers of the presidency and members of the federal executive council, which is the highest tier of government in the country.
“In furtherance of my desire to engender a broad based investigation and an enlargement of the fight against corruption, I will also demand that Abdulrasheed Bawa excuse himself and surrender himself for investigation, as I and some eminent Nigerians have evidence of corrupt practices, breach of public trust and abuse of office against him and the commission led by him.
“Importantly, he needs to come clean with Nigerians on the way and manner he has prosecuted the anti-corruption fight.
“He needs to explain among others how seized assets by the EFCC are being sold without adherence to due process.
“He should explain, for instance, how he has assumed the role of the plaintiff, prosecutor and jury and how he has executed his brand of plea bargaining with suspected criminals and saboteurs of the Nigerian economy and agenda who instead of being put on trial, are walking freely all over Nigeria.
“It is when the EFCC Chair does this and becomes open, non-selective and all-embracing with his invitation, that will we take him seriously.
“It is only then will serious-minded officers who have served the people selflessly and meritoriously and are not opposed to an examination of their books, and indeed Nigerians generally take him seriously.
“Without this, it is just a case of another person in government who has some explaining to do himself over allegations of corruption, high-handedness and abuse of office now asking others to account, by so doing, merely giving Nigerians a comic relief from the present challenging times they are experiencing,” Matawalle said.
