A coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), has opposed the establishment of the Lagos State Public Complaint Anti-Corruption Commission Law by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
The CSOs said the law, if allowed, poses danger to the national anti-corruption fight as it would whittle down the power of the country’s anti-corruption agencies: EFCC and ICPC amongst other things.
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The CSOs under the umbrella of ‘Speak Out Africa Initiative’ made their position known in a letter dated May 4 and signed by its legal adviser, Ikechukwu Ezechukwu, SAN.
The letter was directed to the President, the Chairman of Nigerian Governors Forum, the National Assembly and the 36 state Assemblies, among others.
They spoke just as a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, described the establishment of the anti-corruption agency as dead on arrival.
The CSOs said: “The agency will do so to the exclusion of every other body or authority see sections 13(3) & (5). Section 13(3) reads: ‘the Commission shall upon commencement of this law takeover the anti-corruption and financial crimes cases involving the finances and assets of Lagos State government being investigated by any other agency’ while section 13(5) confers the power of exclusivity to the Commission in handling such financial crimes,” the coalition added.
They further submitted that since item 60(a) empowers the National Assembly to establish the EFCC and ICPC, the Lagos state anti-corruption law, to the extent of the inconsistency of its provisions with that of EFCC and ICPC are null and void.
“Even where any of its provisions is consistent with the provisions of the EFCC and ICPC establishment Acts, the provisions remain void on the doctrine of “Covering the Fields”, the group added.
In his comment on the new law, George had said “the Lagos state government legislation that seeks to shield criminals from being prosecuted by the EFCC is unconstitutional and retrogressive.”
He noted that it was designed to shield the former governors of the state from prosecution, saying, “It will not work.”
“This is politics of deceit and self-serving glorification. They cherry-pick what suits them, railroading their enemies into jail and protecting their own.
“I was a victim of this dirty politics in the hands of Lagos state and Farida Waziri for committing no offence at all until I was discharged and acquitted by the highest court in our land.
“Now cruelty has circled. It is their turn to sweat. They are now haunted by their own seeds of discord,” George added.
