Arise Television’s The Morning Show anchor, Rufai Oseni, has expressed skepticism over the decision by President Bola Tinubu to direct the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, to investigate allegations surrounding the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and its self-acclaimed Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew.
Speaking on during the program in Wednesday, Oseni described the probe as “the greatest joke of the century,” arguing that nothing meaningful would come out of the investigation because, according to him, the Presidency had already taken a position on the matter.
He questioned the credibility of the probe, noting that the Presidency’s initial statement on the controversy had, in his view, exonerated the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
According to Oseni, directing the ICPC to investigate after issuing such a statement undermines public confidence in the process.
He also argued that it would be difficult for the anti-corruption agency to conduct an investigation that could implicate individuals close to the government, saying the Presidency’s body language had already indicated where it stood on the issue.
Oseni said; “The presidency calling for an investigation into the Adeyemi saga, I laugh. That’s the greatest joke of the century. Nothing, hold me here, will come out of the investigation. It’s just another way to deceive and distract Nigerians.
“Investigate what? Was that the first statement released by the Presidency ?The first statement released by the Presidency had even exonerated by Gbajabiamila. Is that what a first presidential reaction should be? So it’s working to the answer.
“After all of this, after people started to talk about it, you now say they should give ICPC investigation. An ICPC investigation into what where the presidency have already sided with people in the case.
“I mean, we all saw the presidency’s message. We know the presidency’s body language about this matter.
“So you think in your own estimation that ICPC will do an investigation that will bring people that matter, that are close to government, down to make the government look bad.
“Why are we deceiving ourselves? Is it not in the same country that plane landed on highway. Till today we have not seen those in the plane. They have not even been able to release the manifest.
“You see, the people that get prosecuted like El-Rufai is when they don’t align politically again. As long as you align politically, nothing will happen to you. Your sins are forgiven in this country.
“Everybody that was mentioned one way or the other should be made to face the investigation panel. That’s what we are saying. Nobody is saying anybody is guilty.
“But once the presidency had written a statement to exonerate people, and a week after, or two weeks after, they are now saying you want to investigate after you have written a initial statement to exonerate people, and you say we should trust the investigation.
“I mean, what do you people think we are in this country? We don’t even know what’s going on?
“We are going to see whether they are going to unravel anything. As far as I’m concerned, is it not Nigeria? Forget all of this.”
