EFCC biased, partisan, arrested Turaki to frustrate Atiku’s suit —CUPP

Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has described the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as being biased and partisan.

It suggested that the arrest of the deputy director-general (administration) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, Tanimu Turaki (SAN) by the EFCC on Monday, was carried out on the order of the ruling government and part of efforts to frustrate Atiku Abubakar to approach the presidential election tribunal.

Atiku, who was the presidential candidate of the in the recently concluded presidential election, which incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari won, has vowed to challenged the result of the polls in court.

His campaign deputy director-general, Turaki, who was a former Minister of Special Duties, was on Monday arrested by the EFCC in Abuja.

Responding on the arrest in a statement on Tuesday, first national spokesman of CUPP, Imo Ugochinyere, insisted that the arrest was politically-motivated.

He frowned at the National Peace Committee (NPC), which spearheaded the signing of a peace accord before the general elections, has kept mute and is allegedly watching the Buhari-led government carrying out a clamp down on opposition leaders.

“The Coalition of United Political Parties is raising alarm once again about the desperate attempt by Muhammadu Buhari and his foot soldiers to by all means frustrate efforts by coalition presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, to retrieve his stolen mandate through a peaceful means- the tribunal where he planned to file his case today.

“This time, Buhari, through his administration’s heavily biased and partisan, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested the Deputy Director-General (Administration) of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN.

“The CUPP wishes to condemn the politically-motivated arrest of Turaki by the EFCC, not for any crime but in a failed attempt to derail the completion of processes leading to the filing of the case at the tribunal to retrieve the stolen mandate President Muhammadu Buhari has been parading about.

“The learned Senior Advocate only went to the EFCC office in connection with the signing of bail papers for other Atiku’s associates who are in custody.

“The mode of his arrest and detention clearly shows it was upon a spontaneous realisation that he was a coordinating factor in the expected legal challenge of the rigged presidential election of February 23.

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“Inside source within the commission informed us that Mr Turaki is not being questioned by EFCC officials but by a team from the Presidential Villa who are only questioning him about the details of the petition of the PDP.

“They are questioning him on the evidences the PDP has in its possession and the location of the documents/legal secretariat and list of witnesses.

“This is obviously with a view to storming the location, carting away relevant papers and derailing the filing of the papers in the tribunal which must be completed within 21 days from the date of announcement of the election results,” the statement read in part.

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