Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto and member of the National Peace Committee, has said in an interview with SaharaTV that the Committee’s recent meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari was made at the behest of Goodluck Jonathan, who pleaded that it ask President Buhari to refrain from an all-out corruption probe of his administration.
In an exclusive interview with SaharaTV correspondent Rudolf Okonkwo, Bishop Kukah mentioned that prior to the meeting, the Committee had spoken with former President Goodluck Jonathan as well as Senate President Bukola Saraki. He said that President Jonathan specifically sent the Committee to President Buhari.
Bishop Kukah also discussed issues ranging from the possible probe of the Jonathan administration to prospects for peace in Nigeria.
Bishop Kukah commended President Buhari for the work he has so far done but stated that his Party, the All Peoples Congress (APC), was voted to govern, and that their focus should be on governing, which is what Nigerians are eager for. Bishop Kukah stated that he could tell President Buhari has been taking his job seriously since his inauguration.
When asked whether Bishop Kukah believes the Peace Committee was afraid that President Buhari may have been fair in the past when he probed previous governments for corruption, he made sure to convey how much the Committee wants Mr. Buhari to use due process during investigations.
“A point we want to make very clear is that we are in a democracy, and [this] is an investigation, not a probe. We were simply saying that we don’t think anyone should be criminalized when nobody has been brought before a court. We are speaking on behalf of ordinary Nigerians,” Bishop Kukah said.
Bishop Kukah made it a point to display the Committee’s stance of indifference towards politics when dealing with issues that concern the well-being of Nigerians.
“We want to see a qualitative and quantitative change in the lives of Nigerians. Nobody knows how Buhari’s presidency will end, nobody knows what will happen to him when he [finishes] his tenure. The stick that they are using to whip Jonathan may be the stick that they will use to whip Buhari tomorrow,” Bishop Kukah said.
