Tambuwal Is Correct About Jonathan's Insincerity On Corruption ––Ribadu, APC, Others

The All Progressives Congress, the Campaign for Democracy, the Human Rights Agenda Network and the pioneer Chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Tuesday told President Goodluck Jonathan to see the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal’s criticism of his administration’s anti-graft war as a wake-up call, rather than attack his personality.

“Tambuwal and President Jonathan belong to the same political party, but this did not deter the speaker from rising above crass partisanship when the issue involved borders on national interest. 

“This is the stuff of good leadership. Tambuwal has shown that he is indeed the Speaker of the House of Representatives and that the entire country is his constituency.”

They said the criticism should not be dismissed with a wave of the hand because it came from the speaker, who is not only a Peoples Democratic Party member like Jonathan, but the nation’s number four citizen.

Tambuwal had at an event organised by the Nigerian Bar Association to mark the 2013 International Anti-Corruption Day in Abuja on Monday , said the President’s body language did not show he had the political will to stem graft in the country.

The APC, in a statement by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, commended Tambuwal, saying by speaking out on the way the Jonathan government was handling the anti-graft war, he had displayed patriotism and dedication to the nation.

It described the Jonathan administration’s fight against corruption as tepid.

The party said the speaker exhibited a rare leadership trait by shunning partisanship to speak out against the poor manner the Jonathan government was handling glaring corruption cases. It noted that corruption had eaten deeper into the national fabric since Jonathan came to power.

The APC added: "We have raised the same issues raised by the Speaker several times in our regular intervention, but the administration has dismissed our concerns on the altar of partisanship.

“However, now that no less a personality than the country’s number four citizen and a top member of the PDP is the one raising the issue, and coming against the background of Nigeria’s slide in the 2013 rankings released recently by the global anti-corruption body Transparency International, we hope the administration will realise that it has only been paying a lip service to the anti-graft battle, and perhaps make amends.”

Also, Ribadu advised Jonathan to accept Tambuwal’s advice in good faith. He said:
"My own and what I will want to add is to talk to President Jonathan directly and say please listen: when people talk, especially serious people, people who are in strategic positions in our country, when they tell you something take it and improve yourself.

“The message of the Speaker is that of Mr. President, wake up, what you have been doing is not going well especially with the fight against corruption. And all that he (Tambuwal) said are nothing new.

“What he said is the truth. What he said is what Nigerians believe. What he said is the fundamental thing that today all of us are worried and concerned. It is not to come out say they are going to fight or they are going to be defensive. It is a matter of telling you for you to correct yourself.”