The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, has come hard on the decision of governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, not to publicly declare their assets as President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo have done.
It will be recalled that the APC governors said it was not compulsory for them to declare their assets publicly and that they would not be pressured into following the President’s example, adding that there was no law mandating them to publicly state the worth of their assets and liabilities.
Reacting to this, the Executive Director, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, in a statement on Saturday, dismissed the governors’ excuse, saying it was a known fact that public assets declaration, a standard practice in the developed world, increases transparency and the trust of citizens in their elected representatives.
According to Adeniran, as a matter of fact, politicians and publicly exposed persons who disclosed information about their assets showed that they had nothing to hide.
Adeniran said: “It is preposterous that governors who rode on the back of President Buhari’s integrity to victory could turn around to claim they are not under obligation to follow in his footsteps as regards public declaration of assets.
“Even if the constitution doesn’t make it mandatory for public office holders to make assets declaration public, why couldn’t they do it on moral ground? It is morally wrong for any governor to hide under the ambiguity of the constitution to defend public declaration of assets.”
The CACOL boss, insisted that assets declaration was one of the many tools that can help curb the pervasive corruption ravaging the country.
“It would also translate to a clear evidence of seriousness and sincerity on the part of our politicians in their quest to fighting and eradicating corruption from our land. The stand of the governors is highly reprehensible and must be condemned by every well-meaning Nigerian,” Adeniran said.
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