THE chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, has said he will bring corruption charges against 24 state governors when their terms end next year.
The governors currently enjoy constitutional immunity from criminal prosecution and may be arrested immediately after their tenure expires.
Ribadu spoke with the Voice of America (VOA) English Service about who the governors are and what sort of corruption charges he is likely to bring against them.
�What I said is that we are investigating a couple of governors and we have up to 36 states in Nigeria and the investigation would reveal whether we have an indictment and indeed prosecution or not. But of course, you know we have taken two governors already to court, one is in custody, one is facing a trial.�
Ribadu said he would not reveal the names of the 24 governors being investigated because, according to him, it would be prejudicial and could jeopardise his investigation.
He added that the commission suspended most of its work during the constitutional amendment debate because it feared being labelled either for or against the debate.
Ribadu rejected suggestions by some that the commission might be engaged in a �witchhunt� of enemies of President Olusegun Obsanjo.
�Witchhunt for what? The work we are doing is transparent. We are trying to fix our country; we are trying to do what is right.� For years, we have been branded as a corrupt country and our inability to do anything correctly. We are coming to address it�. We want to fix it.�
Ribadu said his commission intended to investigate prospective candidates in next year�s presidential election.
�We are not going to say that we are targeting anybody or particular persons for such a thing. But the point is we are going to ensure that we are going to get clean people, honest people, transparent people, people who don�t have skeletons that will be able to come forward and be leaders in our country,� he said.
Ribadu said the commission had investigated allegations of corruption against President Obasanjo brought by the governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu, adding that President Obasanjo submitted himself for such investigations.
Jun12006