The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised President Bola Tinubu’s dealing with of the certificates forgery scandal involving former Minister of Innovation, Science, and Expertise, Geoffrey Nnaji, insisting that forgery is a felony act that must be prosecuted, not pardoned.
In an announcement on Wednesday signed by its Nationwide Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the occasion mentioned merely accepting Nnaji’s resignation was “weak and disappointing.
He added that it exhibits the All Progressives Congress (APC) shouldn’t be critical about combating corruption.
“By merely accepting the disgraced minister’s resignation as an alternative of taking a agency motion, President Tinubu has created the unlucky impression that he’s sympathetic to such misconduct,” the ADC mentioned.
“It’s surprising that the minister was allowed to step down quietly after brazenly admitting that his certificates had been pretend. This sends a horrible message to Nigerians, particularly the youth, that dishonesty in public service goes unpunished.”
The occasion famous that each the College of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the Nationwide Youth Service Corps (NYSC) had formally disowned the certificates Nnaji introduced for his ministerial appointment.
“By merely accepting the minister’s resignation, President Tinubu has proven that his administration is keen to let corrupt officers off the hook with out consequence,” the ADC mentioned.
“He has failed to set an instance that dishonesty won’t be tolerated amongst those that serve below him. As we’ve got acknowledged earlier than, this isn’t an remoted case. it displays a disturbing sample that has outlined the APC authorities since its inception.
The ADC famous that the APC has repeatedly been linked to certificates scandals, making dishonesty a defining function of its administration and shielding people with questionable integrity.
It added that if President Tinubu can not act decisively in such a transparent case, Nigerians have little purpose to belief his authorities’s dedication to genuinely combating corruption.
“As a celebration, we subsequently name on related regulation enforcement companies to pursue an impartial investigation into the matter, noting that resignation doesn’t erase felony legal responsibility. Forgery shouldn’t be a personal offence, it’s a crime. If discovered responsible, Mr. Nnaji ought to be prosecuted in accordance with the regulation. Something much less will quantity to a canopy-up,” the assertion concluded.
