Lagos-based senior lawyer, Femi Falana, has said he never suggested that immediate past president, Goodluck Jonathan, fought corruption in a more civilised manner than President Muhammadu Buhari as it is being claimed in some reports.
He said at no time during during his recent interview on Channels Television did he make such a suggestion.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr. Falana said the false claim is being spread by misguided fellows desperately seeking to “discredit the anti-corruption programme of the Muhammadu Buhari administration”
He explained that although he said during the interview that the Jonathan administration recovered $970 million from the Abacha loot and sacked three of his ministers, he did not say those actions were “taken quietly as they were announced and celebrated in the media”.
He continued, “I was alleged to have “suggested” in an interview in the channels television, that President Jonathan fought corruption in a more civilised manner than President Buhari. I never made such a stupid statement.
Hence, the “suggestion” ascribed to me is grossly misleading and downright dishonest.
“In accusing the influential members of the National Peace Committee of gargantuan hypocrisy I did say that their chairman, General Abbdulsami Abubakar even probed the dead and recovered properties and over $1 billion from the Abacha loot which are contained in the Forfeiture Decree No 45 of 1999.
“I questioned the motive of the members of the National Peace Committee in calling for “soft landing” for corrupt people. Convinced that the call was a demonstration of class solidarity I urged the Buhari Administration not to be deterred in prosecuting the anti-corruption war.
“In fact, I did not hesitate in supporting President Buhari’s anti corruption policy by citing section 15 of the Constitution which has imposed a duty on the the Nigerian State to abolish corrupt practices and abuse of power.”
Therefore he challenged those that twisted and manipulated his comments to produce the statement he made suggesting that President Jonathan fought corruption in a civilised manner.
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