Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu says his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari is above scandal and does not operate any bank account stashed with proceeds of corruption.
“The President is still what he is; he is still above board,” Shehu said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Tuesday whilst commenting on the outgoing administration’s anti-graft fight.
Some Nigerian politicians are infamous for stashing stolen monies in local and foreign accounts through cronies and companies owned by third parties, especially towards the twilight of their administrations.
Former head of state, Sani Abacha; ex-Governor of Delta State, James Ibori; former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke; amongst others had been indicted by the United Kingdom and the United States for allegedly stashing millions of dollars and pounds of stolen funds in accounts overseas, some of the loots which have been recovered and returned to the Nigerian Government.
Some former ministers and ex-governors had also been accused of corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
However, Shehu said his principal does not operate any account with stolen government funds and fears no scandal or prosecution after office.
“As his spokesperson, I go to bed, I sleep soundly convinced that nobody, whether from Nigeria or outside the country, can call me to say we have discover this bank account and your boss has these huge millions. That’s not Buhari; he is well-above scandal and that is how it will end,” the presidential spokesman said.
Buhari, 80, will end his two-term tenure of eight years on May 29, 2023 when the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu is expected to be sworn in.
Buhari, a former Nigerian military head of state who hailed from the rustic town of Daura in Katsina State, North-West Nigeria had during his campaign in 2015 vowed to combat endemic corruption in the country.
However, under his watch, Nigeria fell from 154 out of 180 countries and territories in the latest ranking of the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International in January 2023.
Many of his critics are also of the opinion that he did not perform up to expectation in the war against corruption.
Asked why corruption is still ubiquitous in the country despite the President’s commitment to fight the monster, Shehu said, “If you ask the President this question, he will equally tell you he is baffled by the fact that people who otherwise would have been in jail are riding their Rolls-Royce and their aircraft, roaming around.”
The presidential spokesman said under the constitution, the President or the Executive Arm can only investigate and prosecute suspected corrupt persons.
“However, the moment the President or the Executive Arm takes these cases to court, his job is done. And it is up to the court to determine whether one is guilty or not,” he noted.
According to Shehu, under the Buhari government, the highest officials in the nation’s parliament and judiciary have been prosecuted on corruption-related matters. “The third highest person in the Executive Arm of government is still undergoing trial,” he said.
