-Blank NEWS Online (NIGERIA):

THE Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has said that it has noted with desmay the moves by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to “witch-hunt and pry into the books of the leading opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) even when it lacks statutory powers to do so.”

The lawmakers, who assures that the party will come out clean, as it has nothing to hide, however charged the EFCC to commence similar action on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and invite its leaders over plethora of petitions and reports of clear cases of high scale corruption involving APC leaders.

The caucus in a statement by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, on Monday, also charged the EFCC to focus on its statutory duties by taking on the officials of the APC Federal Government, who have already been indicted in corruption cases in ministries, departments and agencies of government.

According to the lawmakers, “we have noted the moves by the EFCC to pry into the internal administration of the PDP, a political party, contrary to the crystal-clear provisions of the 1999 constitution (as amended), particularly Sections 225 and 226, which vest the scrutiny of party finances in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“Nevertheless, we have no doubts that the PDP will come out clean because they have nothing to hide.

“However, now that the EFCC is busying itself to probe the PDP, we demand forthwith that it also invite the officials of the APC and commence an inquest into the books of the APC. This is more so as the APC is the party that has access to federal government funds, and as such has questions to answer, particularly in the face of volumes of allegations in the public domain towards that direction.

“The EFCC must not invent any form of excuse or show any hesitation in inviting APC leaders and making them answer for the humongous corruption allegedly being perpetuated in the APC.

“We charge the EFCC to end its hesitation and immediately take on officials of the APC administration, who as ministers, presidential aides and heads of agencies have been indicted over alleged pillaging of trillions of naira from the coffers of various agencies of government” the caucus insisted.

The lawmakers stressed that EFCC attitude was tantamount to chasing shadows in the PDP, albeit unconstitutionally, while romancing corruption in the APC and APC-led Federal Government.