An advocacy group known as the Forum for Transparency and Accountability in Governance has issued a cautionary statement to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, advising him not to appoint any politicians with pending fraud allegations into his administration, regardless of their party loyalty.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The advice comes as President Tinubu is expected to present his list of ministerial nominees to the Senate within the statutory period of 60 days.

In a joint statement issued by the group’s Convener, Dr. Bala Musa Mustapha, Secretary General, Mr. Nouel Malama, and Director of Publicity, Nafisa Hamid Jika, they urged President Tinubu to exercise prudence and avoid appointing individuals with questionable reputations….CONTINUE READING

The group specifically singled out Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, urging that he should be kept away from any positions of power.

El-Rufai is currently facing trial for alleged embezzlement of N32 billion from the sales of Federal Government Houses during his tenure as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory between 2005 and 2007.

The group referenced a 2019 ruling by Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court, which emphasized that El-Rufai could not prevent the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating and prosecuting him over the fraud allegations.

The Forum for Transparency and Accountability in Governance called on the EFCC to resume El-Rufai’s prosecution, which was put on hold when he assumed office as governor in May 2015 due to the immunity granted to the office.

Citing a damning audit report by Akintola Williams Deloitte and Aminu Ibrahim & Co, which indicated that the N32 billion proceeds from the sale of Federal Government Houses were missing, the group emphasized the need for a government that upholds probity and accountability to avoid patronizing individuals like the former Kaduna State governor.

The advocacy group expressed hope that President Tinubu would respond appropriately to the El-Rufai issue and urged him not to wait for public protests before taking action.

In conclusion, the group called on the EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies to diligently prosecute both former and current public officers with pending corruption cases, expressing concerns that selective prosecution could be perceived in the absence of such actions.