PFIPC Scandal: Atiku Faults Tinubu's ICPC Probe, Names Only Panel That Can Uncover Truth
- Atiku Abubakar said Tinubu's directive to the ICPC to probe the PFIPC affair was a reluctant response to his seven-day ultimatum
- Atiku argued that referring the matter to a government agency contradicted the standard of independence Nigerians expected
- The former vice president demanded a 10-member Special Independent Commission of Inquiry to conclude work within one month
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has dismissed President Bola Tinubu's decision to direct the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC) scandal.
According to him, the move falls far short of genuine transparency and only deepens contradictions within the Presidency's own account of events.
Source: Facebook
In a statement released on Wednesday, July 8, by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku said the directive, issued seven days after he publicly issued an ultimatum demanding a thorough probe, amounted to an acknowledgement that the earlier Police investigation was either incomplete or inadequate.
"If the Police investigation was comprehensive, another investigation is unnecessary. If another investigation has become necessary, then the inevitable conclusion is that the earlier investigation was insufficient. The President cannot simultaneously maintain both positions without contradicting his own government," Atiku said.
ICPC probe draws scrutiny
Atiku said the Presidency had earlier maintained that the case was already before the court after police made arrests, traced bank accounts, recovered documents and filed charges. He questioned what the ICPC could uncover in another 30 days that the police had not already investigated.
He also noted that the main suspect's father was reportedly arrested only last week despite claims that the investigation had been concluded. Beyond the timeline, Atiku argued that the fundamental problem was structural.
"The Federal Government is itself central to this controversy because the questions being asked concern the conduct of public institutions, official processes and possible institutional failures," he said, adding that no party under scrutiny should simultaneously serve as its own investigator and judge.
He also raised concerns about the appointment of a senior Presidency official, whose name had been publicly linked to the PFIPC controversy, to chair an implementation committee on state police.
The move, he said, undermined public confidence in the appearance of impartiality.
Source: Twitter
Atiku calls for 'Independent Commission'
Atiku urged the immediate creation of a 10-member Special Independent Commission of Inquiry comprising respected Nigerians nominated by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), civil society groups, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and retired judicial officers.
He said the proposed panel should be empowered to invite any current or former public official to testify, examine all available investigation records, and release its White Paper directly to Nigerians without seeking approval from any government institution. He added that the commission should conclude its assignment within one month.
"Anything less will leave the unavoidable impression that the government prefers to investigate itself behind closed doors rather than submit to genuinely independent scrutiny," he said.
Atiku, who observed an irony in the President's posture, said that Tinubu has shown urgency in directing probes into matters touching on official records involving others, while longstanding public questions about aspects of his own personal records remain unaddressed.
Senate to address alleged fake agency row
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Senate planned to address the controversy surrounding the alleged Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council after questions emerged over a N1.3 billion budget allocation to the agency.
The controversy followed claims that a forged appointment letter bearing the Chief of Staff's name enabled the council to secure office space despite the Presidency maintaining that the agency was never legally established.
Source: Legit.ng
