Shehu Sani, the senator representing Kaduna Central, on Tuesday, December 1, called on the Code of Conduct Bureau to also examine the asset declarations of other governors who were contemporaries of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

While speaking at the 8th Forum of the laureates of Nigerian National Order of Merit in Abuja, Sani said politics should not be misrepresented as anti-graft war as he also described the ongoing anti-corruption campaign in the country as being politically driven.

He reflected that after insurgency, no other issue was more important for national attention than corruption and impartiality could actually be a cog in the wheel of the anti-graft campaign.

“Corruption has consequences as seen in the arrest of those in charge of security in the last administration. Insurgency is for some industry, business enterprise and means of making money.

“Even Governors would say they allocate hundreds of millions to security but when you go there you won’t find anything.

“They say because of allocation to security they can build schools. So it is for all of us to see why we have not won the war against insurgency and why people are killed because of corruption. Politics mixed with corruption will take us nowhere.”

“It is only in Nigeria that one says because somebody has contributed to the success of the ruling party, corruption charges should be withdrawn against him. But if he falls out of favor tomorrow, then, EFCC will bring up the remaining charges.”

On this note, he asked why the Federal Government went after Saraki for alleged false asset declaration without extending same gesture to the other governors who served as contemporary governors of the Senate president.

“If Saraki is tried for falsely declaring his assets since 2003, CCB should do same to all others who served in that era. Many issues that have to do with laws are stained by politics and they lose their credibility.”

He also charged public officers to publicly declare their assets.

“After President Muhammadu Buhari declared his assets, I followed him and did same. But only about three of us have done so out of all public officials in the country.

“Some people will say they are like Buhari in everything. When he says change, they also say change. But on the issue of asset declaration, they failed to be like President Buhari.”

Adebayo Emuleomo