The former Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Political Affairs, Professor Rufai Ahmed Alkali has urged Nigerians to allow the anti corruption agencies carry out their assignment, noting that they have capable men and women to embark on their duties professionally.
In a statement in Abuja sunday, Professor Alkali said some unnamed persons have been sponsoring negative write ups in the media to discredit the work of the anti corruption agencies especially as it relates to the investigations into the past administration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the campaign funds of the Jonathan/Sambo 2015 Presidential Campaign Organization (PCO).
The former Political adviser to President Jonathan noted that contrary to the insinuations in certain circles that the Jonathan administration was under trial, it is the ruling elites that are under trial for their failure.
“Let me state here that contrary to popular notions, it is not PDP leaders that are on trial. It is not even the former PDP Government alone that is on trial. It is the ruling elite in the country that is on trial over our individual and collective failures. And each and every one of us will, at some stage in life, face and hopefully past the integrity test” he said.
He noted: ” I have resisted the urge and temptations to join issues with the sponsors and writers of these stories, hoping that in good time, they will know the truth. However, it has become imperative at this stage, to urge writers of those stories to allow the security agencies, who are made up of highly competent and well trained professionsls, to handle the investigations diligently.
“My resolve to keep silent since these issues were first reported in the papers was mainly because of my fair understanding and respect of the system having served my country in various capacities over the years” he said.
Professor Alkali noted that “the issues under investigation are within the powers of the relevant agencies charged with the constitutional responsibility to do so and I believe that the agencies have been doing their work without any interference by anyone. I therefore have absolute confidence in the ability and capacities of the men and women who are saddled with this rather difficult task of cleansing the system to do their work in line with their mandate. “In my view it is time we move away from the dramatisation of serious issues and focus our attention and energy towards consolidating on the gains of democracy in our country” he concluded.
