By Kamil Opeyemi
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says President-elect Bola Tinubu does not have the moral right to speak against corruption.
The opposition party was reacting to a recent statement made by the President-elect on Thursday in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers, saying that his administration would make corruption unattractive in the judiciary by undertaking the necessary changes.
Reacting, PDP in a statement issued on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the party and Nigerians were “alarmed” by Tinubu’s comment, noting that there were corruption allegations against him.
He said the President-elect’s statement was “completely sacrilegious and an assault on the sensibility of Nigerians having regards to his records of alleged corruption”.
“It is, therefore, ludicrous that an individual who has been widely alleged to be an enabler and beneficiary of corruption can attempt to put himself forward to Nigerians as a champion of anti-corruption,” Ologunagba said.
The PDP said if Tinubu is interested in fighting corruption, he should first address the allegations against him.
“If indeed senator Tinubu is desirous of fighting corruption, the starting point should be that he publicly and personally address Nigerians on the numerous allegations of corruption against him.
“Clearly, Senator Tinubu’s pontification or claims on corruption is a further attempt to corrupt, cultivate, patronize, lure and compromise the Judiciary ahead of the commencement of the hearing of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Monday, May 8, 2023 and nothing more.”
“The PDP therefore calls on the Judiciary to be wary of attempts by the APC and its Presidential Candidate to patronize them in the course of the discharge of their Constitutional duties as impartial arbiter, particularly in the pending Petition before the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal,” he added