TheCable

The civil society legislative advocacy centre (CISLAC), the national chapter of Transparency International (TI), says the suspension of Abdulrasheed Bawa did not come as a surprise.

On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu suspended Bawa, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), over “abuse of office”.

Speaking with NAN, Auwal Rafsanjani, executive director of CISLAC, said the organisation knew Bawa was going to be removed from office because of “many political interests”.

He said it is unlikely Tinubu will retain Bawa because of how he was appointed and his affiliations.

“The suspension did not come to us by surprise, this is because of the way and manner the previous regimes or governments have always removed the EFCC leaders when they come into power,” Rafsanjani said.

“For this development, with regard to the removal of the EFCC chairman, we believe that already we knew that he was going to be removed because of so many political interests and changes that can happen.

“He will want to get rid of anything that has to do with that.

“Also there are some political interests, some politicians associated with the government also have issues with the current suspended EFCC chairman and therefore they are likely not to be comfortable to have him there.

“The EFCC office has been unnecessarily made to be too political.

“Therefore, it is making it difficult to do what ordinarily government agency is supposed to do.

“So, we need to look at it from that context and from that perspective, so I’m not surprised.”

Rafsanjani, however, said the “good work” of the agency must continue.

He also advised the government to look beyond politics in appointing the next EFCC chairman.

“What is important is that we must insist and demand that the anti-corruption and the good work of agencies, including EFCC, must continue in the country,” he said.

“In appointing the next one, I think first and foremost, let’s make that office to be a technical professional office.

“Let’s make it less political, let us remove the use of that to settle political issues.

“I think we need to have a credibly experienced, fairly minded person to carry out that responsibility.”