Dr Tunji Braithwaite has slammed the President
Muhammadu Buhari-led government over its purported
fight against corruption in the country.
The politician who held sway in the second republic,
stated categorically that the Nigerian president is yet to
kick-start his fight against corruption in the country.
The founder of the Nigeria Advance Party (NAP), on
which platform he contested the presidential election in
1983, argued that the trial of Senate President, Bukola
Saraki, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) is only a
waste of time, as the former Kwara state governor will
soon be free.
Dr Tunji Braithwaite thinks President Muhammadu Buhari
and Senate President, Bukola Saraki will soon end the
ongoing trial against the latter
Braithwaite spoke exclusively with Vanguard, excerpts
below:
President Muhammadu Buhari administration so far
I spoke on a TV programme where people asked me
questions on the latest appointments that he made – chief of
staff, secretary to the government of the federation, etc,
whether they were not slanted to the North.
Latest appointments
I said may be so but I have other insight to the latest
appointments because I know Buhari very well and he knows
me. I said forget about the northern slant and look at other
more significant things. The date of the announcement of
those appointments was significant. The announcement was
made on August 27, which was the anniversary of the
Babangida coup that toppled Buhari in 1985.
I said people should think about that. Why would he make
such pivotal announcement on such an anniversary? People
should think. We should not take things on face value. So, it
is clear to me that, Buhari for the moment, is not thinking
about North and South. My analysis is that Buhari is thinking
of the military. He wants to do something about the Nigerian
military. If you looked at his latest appointments, two of the
appointments were his former military colleagues. It shows
that Nigeria is not yet out of the woods when it comes to
military opportunism and he wants to clear his backyard first.
Much noise, no action against graft
We have heard a lot of noise being made about attacking
corruption. What has he done about attacking corruption four
months after he was sworn in? The fact that we are having
better electricity supply and the refineries are working cannot
be what he has done.
His body language, may be. But what we got all this time is
military news. To me, he wants to make sure that military
opportunists, military looters, who are still very much around
in the control and administration of this country directly or
through their proxies are adequately handled.
How many people have been charged for corruption? Nobody.
One military fellow, Sambo Dasuki, the former NSA has been
taken to a Magistrates’ Court. Put your two and two together
if you are a thinker.
What about Senate President Bukola Saraki being taken
to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT?
That is what I am saying. Saraki’s arraignment before the
CCT will die a natural death. The charges that I heard read
against Saraki were criminal, why take him to the CCT, which
is like a bull dog without teeth? The CCT has not got criminal
power.
Where should Saraki have been taken to?
He should have been taken to a court with criminal power to
send people to jail if found guilty. The CCT cannot jail. You
will find that this circus show will die a natural death.
Following the unrest which has met the trial of Saraki at
the CCT, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presented
three candidates with which they want to replace the
Senate Presid ent in the event that he is impeached.
This is also as a result of incessant calls by different
groups that the senator resign due to the allegations
leveled against him.
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