Anambra State government has said that Governor Willie Obiano was ready to answer questions about his tenure in office
In reaction to the news that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has placed the governor on a watchlist. The governor will conclude his tenure on March 17, and it’s suspected that he may leave the country after then.
A press statement by the Anambra State government, which was signed by the commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr C. Don Adinuba said there was no doubt that the governor will leave the country after his tenure as he has always announced so, but insisted that the governor was ready to account for his years in office.
The release described the news of the governor having been put on the commission’s watchlist as being sponsored, stating that currently, the governor was outside the country, and legitimately travelled without disguising himself or sneaking out.
According To Adinuba’s Press Statement;
“Nigerians were dismayed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) went a new low on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, when it sponsored media reports claiming that it has placed Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State on its watch list.
“The EFCC provided no details of how Governor Obiano has been placed on its watch list, but made a reference to a letter it purportedly wrote on November 15, 2021, to the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) asking it to inform the anti-graft agency anytime the governor is travelling out of the country.
“Chief Obiano has never left any persons in doubt that he will relocate to his base in the United States once he finishes his tenure. As early as Wednesday, March 4, 2020, he announced his decision to a meeting of the Anambra State Council of Elders.”
Adinuba said Governor Obiano has a whole four months to remain in office as the Anambra State chief executive, and that nobody in Nigeria can circumscribe his constitutionally conferred immunity which shields him from both criminal and civil prosecution.
“The EFCC went too far to announce in November that it is observing him. We are not aware of any state governor who had up to four months to be in office and the EFCC went on to sponsor media reports that he was being investigated.
“It is, indeed strange that the EFCC is making a show that it is investigating a high public officer. Anti-corruption agencies, like intelligence services, conduct their investigations discreetly, and not on pages of newspapers. Media trial has never benefitted the EFCC.
“The EFCC should not allow itself to be used by politicians who are mere birds of passage. Its ongoing Anambra drama is in bad taste. It did not serve Governor Obiano any notice. Nor did it invite him to answer questions about his service record. It just went to the press. Yet, the governor is willing to answer any questions about his years in office. After all, he has received a prestigious award from the United Nations Development Programme for social service integrity,” the release stated.
