Victor Ezeja
A legal practitioner, Wuyi Oyetunde has described as illegal, the petition by the Spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), Festus Keyamo, SAN, against the Peoples Democratic Party, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, over corruption allegations.
Keyamo, who is also the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to arrest Atiku within the next 72 hours over allegations of corruption raised by a whistleblower, identified as Michael Achimugu.
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According to a document containing the petition, seen on Keyamo’s Twitter handle, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, asked the chairmen of the anti-graft agencies to arrest or invite Atiku for questioning over alleged offences bordering on money laundering, criminal breach of trust and criminal misappropriation, conspiracy, and other offences against the code of conduct for public officials.
Keyamo said the revelation by the whistleblower implicated Atiku as siphoning public funds through proxies –”Special Purpose Vehicles” while he was vice-president between 1999 and 2007.
He further asked the anti-graft agencies to act on the petition urgently or face a lawsuit.
He said: “For about a week now, Nigerians have been in shock over the public revelations of a whistleblower, Mr. Michael Achimugu, who has provided the nation with evidence of letters of appointment by Atiku Abubakar, emails, documents, audio clips, sworn affidavit and his direct oral evidence as to how Atiku, who happens to be the presidential candidate of the PDP, during his tenure as Vice-President of Nigeria between 1999 and 2007, colluded with his then boss, ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, to fleece the country and steal public funds using what he termed as ‘Special Purpose Vehicles.’
“Those SPVs were companies which Atiku admittedly registered upon assumption of office as the VP (with the approval of Obasanjo) using “trusted allies” as shareholders and directors.
“The purpose was to divert government contracts to these companies as “consultants” and then pay monies into these companies and use those monies to fund the PDP, their private businesses and family activities.”
He filed the petition in his capacity as a lawyer as it bears his chamber’s addresses in Lagos and Abuja.
In a tweet on Tuesday afternoon, Keyamo uploaded a copy of the petition indicating that EFCC, ICPC and CCB have acknowledged reception of his petition on Monday, 16th January, 2023.
Reacting to that, Oyetunde through his Twitter handle @wuyi_oyetunde, faulted Keyamo, for embarking on such action in his capacity as a lawyer.
According to Oyetunde, Keyamo as a serving minister who is on full employment of the Federal Government is not permitted by law to engage in independent law practice.
He said Keyamo should either face his ministerial portfolio or resign to practice law independently.
The tweep reads: “As a serving minister, we are solely employed by the Federal Government. You are not permitted under the law to practice law independently. This petition under your law office is an illegality and breach of extant laws. Face your state ministerial post or resign!”
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
