Group condemns accusations against Buhari’s govt officials, describe allegations as “farrago of lies”
The Forum of Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria (FCSO) has defended key officials from the Buhari administration, calling recent allegations by Okoi Obono-Obla a “farrago of lies.”
In a press conference held at the NUJ Press Center in Utako, Abuja, Comrade Friday Maduka, Chairman of the FCSO, condemned Obono-Obla’s claims as nothing more than an orchestrated smear campaign designed for personal gain.
Maduka addressed the media following Obono-Obla’s controversial interview on Channels TV, where he criticized the handling of public corruption during the Buhari years.
According to Maduka, Obono-Obla’s comments were filled with “gross and unprecedented distortions” and “contrived fabrications,” which warranted a strong response to clarify the record.
“This press conference is necessary to clear the dusty cobwebs of misinformation.
“Mr Okono-Obla’s allegations are a desperate attempt to mislead the Nigerian public, casting aspersions on his former mentors and benefactors.
This is an unfortunate campaign of calumny, driven by self-serving motives,” he said.
Maduka criticized Obono-Obla’s intentions, accusing him of using the allegations to gain favour with the current federal administration.
He described Obono-Obla’s actions as “Machiavellian,” stating that the former chairman of the Presidential Panel for the Recovery of Federal Government Property had abandoned principles and taken to “peddling influence for money, relevance, and position.”
“Never did calumny seem so odious,” Maduka stated.
Maduka recounted Obono-Obla’s controversial tenure as the Chairman of the Presidential Investigation Panel, highlighting how his prior nomination to the National Communications Commission (NCC) board had been rejected twice by the Senate.
Following the setbacks, Obono-Obla was appointed by the then Attorney General, Abubakar Malami, as Special Adviser on Prosecution Matters, leveraging their political ties through the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), one of the founding components of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
However, as Maduka pointed out, Obono-Obla’s role quickly expanded when Vice President Yemi Osinbajo appointed him as the head of the Presidential Ad-Hoc Committee on the Recovery of Public Property.
But instead of sticking to the committee’s mandate, Obono-Obla allegedly turned it into a personal “fiefdom.”
“Mr. Obono-Obla transformed the committee into a vehicle for his ambitions, creating directorates and contrived protocols to suit his self-serving agenda.
“He sought to undermine established anti-corruption agencies like the ICPC and EFCC, using his position for personal vendettas,” Maduka claimed.
In a robust defence of the Buhari administration, Maduka praised both former President Muhammadu Buhari and Attorney General Abubakar Malami for their commitment to transparency, probity, and accountability.
He asserted that both men had left a legacy of good governance that would endure for generations to come.
“The venerable Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN and his principal, President Buhari GCFR, have left behind an unimpeachable legacy of leadership that prioritizes a solid and indivisible Nigeria.
“Their dedication to fighting corruption was unquestionable, and any attempts to undermine that legacy should be viewed with scepticism,” the group stated.
Maduka urged Nigerians not to be swayed by Obono-Obla’s attempts to position himself as a grand anti-corruption figure, calling his recent claims an “audacious attempt to rewrite history.”
“The pyrotechnics of Obla must be ignored. His actions were marked by gross impropriety, and his efforts to cast himself as an anti-corruption crusader are nothing more than a thinly veiled ploy for personal relevance,” the forum stated.
The forum also made it clear that after conducting its investigation, it found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Malami.
“On the basis of our own reports and conclusions, the forum gives Mr. Abubakar Malami SAN a clean bill of health,” Maduka concluded.
