Jonathan succumbs to pressure, drops Elechi as ICPC chair

Details: Category: Politics; Published on Wednesday, 30 November 2011 00:32; Written by Admin; Hits: 903

President Goodluck Jonathan may have succumbed to pressure to drop Mr Francis Elechi as the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC). He has named Mr Nta Ekpo as the acting chairman.

While inaugurating the board of the ICPC yesterday at the State House, Abuja, the President said he decided not to swear-in Elechi because he had received “several disturbing calls which border on his credibility to chair such a sensitive body”.

He hastened to add that he had not dropped Elechi but only needed time to do proper investigation as not to dent the credibility of the body.
Elechi, a lawyer and managing Solicitor of Elechi & Associates is said to be a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) card-carrying member and also very close to a South-South governor.
His words: "The chairman couldn’t follow the oath taking this morning, because from about Wednesday last week, I started receiving disturbing calls and reports and a body like INEC, ICPC and EFCC, the president should be very careful about the opinion of people.

“A minister can come in and go the next day, but INEC, EFCC and ICPC, you cannot gamble with them and that is why when we were to inaugurate the board of INEC, the same thing happened, there were protests that there were some PDP members.

"To make sure that people had a proper perception of INEC and to make sure that the perception is correct, we dropped those people. I am not saying we are going to drop the chairman, but we are going to look into the reports we have and reconfirm.

"We will not do anything that will bring any stain to any of these bodies, no matter how painful we may be to anybody.

So, the chairman is not taking his oath of office today. The SGF will formally write a letter, but Nta Ekpo will act until we sort out the issue of the chairman".

Jonathan urged members of the ICPC Board to be conscious of their conduct “as the whole world would be keeping eye on you”.
He also sworn-in Ambassador Lawrence Nwuruku as INEC Commissioner representing Ebonyi State.

While charging INEC board to ensure that subsequent elections are better than the last general elections, the President also called on the ICPC board to collaborate with the EFCC to stamp out corruption in the country.

He spoke further: "Let me congratulate all of you on your appointment and thank you for accepting to take up the responsibility. Both ICPC and INEC are extremely sensitive bodies that you are not only watched by Nigerians but by the whole international community.

"From today, you are no longer going to be people that are hiding. The moment you travel out of this country, they will be beaming search light on you. That is the cross all of us have to carry until we leave the board.

"For INEC, we welcome you on board. I charge you to work with the chairman to ensure that subsequent elections are even better than what we had in April this year.

"So, ICPC and EFCC are bodies that must work day and night, that is why we took pains to select you, believing that you will work very hard to complement what the EFCC is doing to bring down corruption. Please, that is the only thing that you will do that Nigerians, both at home and abroad, will move to dignity and pride wherever they go.

"For ICPC, it is a very sensitive body. I remember after the elections when I travelled out, some of the world leaders who chatted with me said 'Jonathan we are very happy with the elections you conducted in Nigeria, but the remaining thing is corruption'.

"Yes we have done well in election and until the monster called corruption is dealt with in this country, we will still not get our appropriate place in the committee of nations," he said.

Other members of the ICPC Board are Alhaji Ado Bayero, Julie Onum Nwariaku, Prof. Olu Aina and Mr. Isa Ozi Salami. (Compass News)