A coalition of civil society organisations has strongly refuted allegations linking the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, to an alleged N80 billion fraud scandal, describing the claims as entirely baseless, lacking in credible evidence, and politically motivated.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the coalition—which comprises Conscience Nigeria, Policy Advocacy and Integrity Nigeria, Sustainable Initiatives for Nurturing Growth, Northern Patriotic Front, Adopt A Goal for Development, Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative, Sustainable Peace Initiative, Guardians of Democracy and Development Initiative, and Rising Up for a United Nigeria—condemned what it called a smear campaign orchestrated by a faction of the Afenifere group.
The statement, signed by the coalition’s National Publicity Secretary, labelled the allegations as “repugnant, prejudicial, and in bad taste,” accusing the group behind the claims of seeking to manipulate public perception and coerce the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“The said publication, in an attempt to intimidate and stampede the EFCC, threatened the commission with a seven-day ultimatum and a nationwide protest,” the coalition said. “For the avoidance of doubt, the accused person, Mr. Uchi, is not an appointee of the President, is not on the payroll of the SGF, nor does he work in the SGF’s office. He is merely an opportunistic hanger-on who specialises in name-dropping.”
The coalition further clarified that the ongoing EFCC investigation was in fact initiated at the instance of Senator Akume himself after he became aware of Mr. Uchi’s flamboyant and suspicious lifestyle. “The SGF has since publicly distanced himself from the suspect,” the statement added.
The coalition decried what it termed a “surreptitious coercive attempt” by the factional Afenifere group to manipulate the EFCC’s investigative process or incite public sentiment to malign the SGF. “Such attempts are discriminatory, offensive, obnoxious, distasteful, and disrespectful,” the groups stated.
In addition to denouncing calls for Akume’s suspension, the coalition also condemned the threat of mass protests, vowing to resist any effort to “denigrate, smear, or deride any of our leaders under any guise.”
“This coalition does not support, encourage, or condone any act of corruption or corrupt practices from any quarters,” the statement noted. “However, we will vehemently resist any attempt to slander or smear public officers through unsubstantiated claims and manipulative tactics.”
The coalition called for a thorough and transparent investigation of the matter, stressing that the process must be based on credible evidence and carried out in accordance with the principles of fairness and justice. It also urged the public and media to be cautious of politically motivated narratives and demand evidence-based reporting.
“We stand firmly against corruption but also firmly against the weaponisation of allegations to tarnish reputations without proof,” the coalition concluded.
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