Presidency says the volume and reach of the anti-corruption crusade so far reflected what the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party left behind after its 16 years of ruling the country.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, stated this while reacting to issues raised by the PDP since the beginning of the interrogation of the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu.
Shehu told State House reporters that corruption became the norm under the PDP that they had difficulty defining what constituted “corruption” and “theft.”
He stated President Buhari’s determination to end corruption in the country was responsible for the number of highly publicised charges and cases.
“The large number of cases, new and old, may appear to be daunting but PDP, which is now heckling the President, has forgotten that the party bequeathed this to the current administration. They had large number of cases they did not investigate and prosecute,” he said.
The presidential spokesman also cautioned the PDP to allow the process of investigation and prosecution to work instead of being pre-emptive about ongoing cases and unduly agitating the public.
Shehu expressed hope that the Judiciary would deal with the cases swiftly and satisfactorily in a manner that would deter other would-be offenders.
“The current administration is handling many of the cases that the PDP should have dealt with and the new ones as they arise,” he said.
He assured Nigerians that President Buhari, who is African Union Anti-Corruption Champion in Africa, would not fail the country in the current crusade against graft. He reiterated that the President had assured all Nigerians that he would not be deterred by baseless criticisms by the opposition in his determination to eradicate rampant and chronic corruption.