Jude Ndukwe, the Special Assistant on Media to Femi Fani-Kayode, the detained Director of Media and Publicity of the 2015 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Campaign Organisation claimed that his principal has met his bail conditions as set by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC but the anti-graft agency has refused to release him. He alleged that the aim of the agency is to forcefully extract statements from the the former minister of Aviation, that would implicate former President Goodluck Jonathan and PDP chieftains.
“It is even more worrisome that the activities of the anti-graft agency has reached an all-time low as they are insisting that the former Minister of Culture and Tourism should name publishers, editors, journalists and bloggers he allegedly gave money to during the election campaigns.
“What has journalists who covered the PDP campaign as much as that of APC got to do with this? This is the height of it all!” Ndukwe said.
“The further insistence by EFCC that Chief Fani-Kayode should deposit a sum of $1m before he could be let go shows how desperate the agency is to keep him in their custody and deny him his fundamental rights as guaranteed under Sections 33,34,35,37 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As Amended) and Articles 4, 5, 6 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act Cap 10 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.
“This further confirms our position that even though he has met his bail conditions, the EFCC have no intention of letting him enjoy his bail nor do they have any intention of playing by the rules.
“While we have copiously acknowledged in the past and still do that EFCC have a constitutional and mandatory duty to carry out their statutory function as empowered by our laws, it is also our sincerest belief that these functions can be carried out within the ambit of the law and without being tainted with vendetta, vindictiveness and politics. These are what discredit the agency and cast doubts in the minds of Nigerians about the sincerity of the fight against corruption,” Ndukwe said.
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