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A former spokesperson for the now-defunct Atiku-Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, Daniel Bwala, emphasised the need for reform within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Bwala conveyed this viewpoint during an interview on Arise Television.
His remarks coincide with the determination expressed by EFCC’s boss, Ola Olukoyede, to prosecute the embattled former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Olukoyede pledged to pursue Bello’s prosecution to its conclusion and assured that those impeding the former governor’s arrest would face legal consequences.
The EFCC aims to bring Bello to court on 19 charges related to alleged money laundering, breach of trust, and misuse of funds totalling ₦80.2 billion.
Bwala calls for EFCC reform
Reacting to this development, Bwala said, “I don’t think, at this stage, anyone should doubt that the EFCC needs reform. In the interview he had on Tuesday, he shot himself with so many types of bullets, showing the world that it is a disproportionate application of their principles.
“One, he said he would give the governor a chance to come to his office through the back door for an interview, which nobody gets, and the law is that everyone is equal and nobody is above the law.
“Secondly, it also shows the zeal with which he (Yahaya Bello) must be arrested. There are similar cases before him (EFCC chairman), to which he has given a preliminary indictment, but the person has not been arrested.
“A good example is the suspended Humanitarian Minister, and there’s no drama around her. He even said it’s not about her but the system. In one breath, it’s about personality; in another, it’s not.”
Bwala expressed his opinion that the anti-corruption agency’s announcement that Bello was being sought was unjustified.
He argued that the EFCC possessed sufficient means to apprehend Bello without such public declarations.
Bwala questioned why the EFCC couldn’t pursue Bello as it did with former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha.