Yoruba youths, under the aegis of Progressive Yoruba Youth Congress have reacted to the plan by the House of Representatives panel currently investigating the alleged violation of public trust in the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to invite Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.
The House had last week concluded plan to invite Osinbajo, who doubles as the board chairman of NEMA.
The reps also resolved to summon Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Winifred Oyo-Ita, Head of Civil Service to appear before its panel.
The Yoruba group described the move as a deeply rooted conspiracy by some external forces outing from outside the hallowed chamber to indict the Vice President.
Recall that the anti-graft agency had few weeks back invited 20 top officers of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for questioning over alleged N2.5billion scandal in the agency.
Consequently, the board of NEMA suspended six directors of the agency indefinitely in connection with the missing fund.
President of the PPYC, Comrade Kola Salawu, while speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, described the invitation as an affront on the person and office of the Vice President
According to Salawu, “The indisputable fact is that the current probe was initiated by the Board of NEMA and acting in consonance with established norms, the Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who statutorily chairs the NEMA Board instantly suspended the directors implicated in the sleaze to pave way for a clean, unhindered and successful completion of the investigation by the EFCC.
“But rather than concentrate or channel energy on clearing their names or establishing their innocence, the directors have deployed various antics to subvert the course of justice, by dragging the NEMA Board to the House of Representatives ad hoc Committee.
“The invitation of the Vice President, Prof. Osinbajo by the Hon. Ali Isa-led committee over the N2.5 billion fraud, instead of the indicted six directors implicated in the fraud is an affront on the person and office of the Vice President. It is an undisguised plot to tarnish his good image, integrity and reputation, which cannot be allowed to stand.
“So, we want to unequivocally state that the actors in this sordid drama, particularly the House of Representative’s adhoc committee has no cogent, lawful or moral reasons to invite the Vice President, Prof. Osinbajo to appear before it on the laughable reason of explaining why he suspected the six directors implicated in the N2.5 billion alleged fraud were suspended. Should the House of Reps be more concerned about the suspension of the indicted officials; or genuinely assisting in tracing the whereabouts of alleged missing funds?
“This is completely laughable, senseless and unacceptable. We perceive the intervention of the House of Reps ad hoc committee from this flawed and illegal angle, as a discreet move to assist the indicted directors evade justice, but dubiously explore avenues to frame up Vice President Osinbajo to rubbish the anti-corruption campaign of President Muhemmedu Buhari ahead of the 2019 ballot.
“The Vice President, Prof. Osinbajo has not erred in any way to enable a drill by the House of Reps. It is therefore, more sensible and reasonable to allow the six directors suspended for their implications in the alleged fraud to defend themselves at the EFCC or possibly go to court, than the easy resort to gimmicks, vindictive actions and chasing of shadows by senselessly dragging the Vice President into the mess they orchestrated.
“Let us make it abundantly clear that these sponsored actors and their band of odious characters who are erroneously thinking, they have the power to destroy Prof. Osinbajo’s political career to have a rethink. Prof. Osinbajo is the most senior Yoruba appointee in the present government and any attempt to unjustifiably launch conspiratorial and satanic attacks on him, to rubbish the Southwest before Nigerians would be vehemently and lawfully resisted. We shall deem it as an attack on the whole of the Southwest and no weapon would be spared in this battle.
“We know Prof. Osinbajo as a personality and leader with strong positive character and integrity. No one would be allowed to baselessly tamper with the good reputation he has painstakingly erected over the years. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.”
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