The Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi, has dismissed claims that the party’s 16 years in power was responsible for the economic crisis the country is experiencing.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress, APC, Federal Government had at several times claimed the high level of corruption perpetrated by the PDP in 16 years was responsible for the country’s current economic challenges.
But Makarfi said, “Look at the North, all the northern governors except about three of them; all the rest are from PDP. Go to the national Assembly, more than half of APC members were from PDP and some of the ministers are (of) PDP extraction.
“It is the same set of people that are in power now. It is only when you are out of power that people can really know whether you are corrupt or not.
“I assure you, let them also leave power; it will not take a month, you will be shocked about what will be emanating to indicate the level of corruption at states and national level,’’Makarfi said in a statement he signed.
The Chairman of the party’s National Caretaker Committee also called for institutional reforms in Nigeria, stressing that such will serve the interest of the public.
Makarfi said institutional reform would empower public officers to resist undue interference from “selfish politicians”.
The former Kaduna State Governor stressed that for the fight against corruption to succeed, anti-graft institutions need to be strengthened.
He said, “I think the bane of our problem in Nigeria is that public institutions generally are serving public leaders; whether you call it the police, the army, the State Security Service (SSS), Customs or Immigration, whatever you may call it.
“It is not just in this democracy. You can go back to the first republic.
“Except we reform; the real change we need is to make public institutions serve the people and the country. What we need really is to protect them and their families.
“Of course, they owe a larger duty to protect every citizen. Aside from that, they are not to be at the beck and call of the leaders; ‘investigate that person, arrest that person, release that person, do this, do that’. No!
“If they are independent bodies anything they need to do, they will do it without a call to public officers”.
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