PFIPC scandal: ADC calls for independent panel of inquiry

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has demanded an independent panel of inquiry into the activities of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC). The ADC alleges the PFIPC is a fake agency reportedly headed by Adeniyi Adeyemi. This call comes just two days after President Bola Tinubu ordered the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the scandal and submit a report within 30 days.

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We are glad that the president acknowledged that there is a need for further investigation, but what we are saying is that you cannot be a judge in your own case. Nemo judex in causa sua. It is on that principle that justice should not only be done but seen to be done. When you hand over an investigation of a scandal that involves your government, your presidency, to an agency of government, then people don’t think you are serious. People don’t think you are really looking for an answer. They think that you are just trying to absolve yourself. That is why we are saying it is wrong and only an independent panel of enquiry will do, anything short of that is drama

Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC's National Publicity Secretary, welcomed the President's investigation order but stressed the need for an independent body. Speaking on Channels TV's Politics Today, Abdullahi argued that an investigation conducted by a government agency into a scandal involving the government itself lacks credibility. "You cannot be a judge in your own case," he stated, emphasizing the principle that justice must be seen to be done. He believes that handing the probe to a government agency suggests a lack of seriousness and an attempt to self-exonerate.

Abdullahi also voiced the ADC's strong concerns regarding the ongoing detention of former governor Nasir El-Rufai. He warned that President Bola Tinubu would be held personally responsible should anything happen to El-Rufai, citing the ex-governor's reported medical condition. The ADC criticizes the conditions of El-Rufai's bail, deeming them almost impossible to meet, which fuels suspicions of a deliberate intent to hold him indefinitely.

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What I can tell you is that the thinking within the ADC is that the All Progressives Congress, APC, government has concluded that they will not release El-Rufai until after the election. They know that with El-Rufai free, the opposition is stronger.

"The thinking within the ADC is that the All Progressives Congress, APC, government has concluded that they will not release El-Rufai until after the election," Abdullahi asserted. He suggested the government fears El-Rufai's freedom would strengthen the opposition. The ADC highlighted that El-Rufai requires medical attention, and reports from his family indicate his health is failing. They also noted the arrest of a doctor who reportedly advised El-Rufai to remain under watch, with authorities accusing the doctor of faking illness. The ADC insists that accountability for El-Rufai's well-being rests with President Tinubu.

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This person (El-Rufai) has a medical condition. If you don’t allow El-Rufai to receive the requisite medical help that he needs because he was in the national hospital, according to the report we got from the family, the hospital advised that he should be kept under watch because his health was failing. What happened? The ICPC arrested the doctor. They said he was faking ill-health and he was abusing the health condition. If anything happens to him, President Bola Tinubu will be held personally responsible because the buck stops on his table.