Labour Party faults Buhari’s transition committee

THE Labour Party (LP) yesterday expressed concern over membership of the transition committee inaugurated by President-elect, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, arguing that the composition of the committee has also raised doubts over the capability of Buhari to fight corruption as he promised during his campaigns.

National Chairman of the party, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, said that President-elect Buhari may fail in his crusade to tackle corruption in the country because of the people he has surrounded himself with as well as the integrity of those that are going to the Senate.

Abdulsalm, who spoke with journalists in Abuja yesterday, noted that those he called Buhari’s first eleven were men with questionable financial records, adding that majority of the 16 governors that are going to the Senate had cases with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

He said: “Buhari during his campaigns gave timeline on when to expect miracles from them and we expect them to keep to their words. However, our fears are that Buhari may have the capacity to fight corruption, but looking at the first eleven that surrounds him, we doubt if he can.

He has to first investigate the source of their wealth. He has to have the capacity to investigate their source of income so that Nigerians will truly believe that he is serious in his fight against corruption.

“Imagine, the man he chose to lead his transition team, former Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State appeared in court only yesterday to answer to corruption charges.

This is a minus for a man who wants to fight corruption and most disturbing is that as of today, 16 former governors who have cases with the EFCC are going to be in the Senate.

Those who have broken the laws of this land are now going to the Senate to make laws for the land.” On partnership with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulsalam said: “We are going to start very soon to see how the party and NLC work together.

Nigerian workers already understand that the party belongs to them. When the NLC comes in, things are likely to change. The problem we have today is that NLC in every state of the federation supports the party in their respective states. That is why we are relating with the NLC and correcting this anomaly.”