The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the offer by Muiz Banire (SAN) to resign his position as the party’s legal adviser, The Punch reports.
Banire had written to the party to step down following an ongoing investigation where he was accused by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of giving N500000 bribe to a friend, an allegation he denied.
The party’s National Working Committee (NWC) in a letter dated December 1, 2016 and signed by the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, the party said it “resolved that your voluntary submission for investigation by the EFCC and subsequent offer to step aside from your position as the National Legal Adviser to the party is an exemplary representation of the credo of our party. The NWC is proud of your conduct in this respect.”
The letter further said that “after intense discussion, the NWC unanimously decided not to accept your offer to step aside as the National Legal Adviser.
“It is inappropriate since your responsibility as the National Legal Adviser of our party will not, in any way, impede any ongoing investigation by the EFCC, more so, as the allegation has no nexus with the party.
“The party is currently saddled with a number of sensitive litigations and your role in professionally handling the ongoing cases is critical. The NWC is of the view that we keep to the credo of our jurisprudence where an accused (person) is considered innocent until otherwise proven guilty by a competent jurisdiction. In this case you have not even been accused,” Oyegun said.
Dolapo is a writer and journalist who works with YNaija. He has interests in Christianity, politics and sports.
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