The pressure is mounting on Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan to withdraw his nominee to head the anti-graft Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), after the main opposition party joined the growing call for the withdrawal of the nominee Sunday. In May, President Jonathan nominated a lawyer, Mr. Francis Ugochukwu Elechi, as head of the ICPC, subject to confirmation by the Senate. But the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said the President should immediately withdraw his nominee because he is a known member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It said, in a statement issued here and obtained by PANA, that if the President fails to heed the call to drop Mr. Elechi, the Senate should reject his nomination, in the interest of the nation.

The opposition party claimed that Mr. Elechi previously served as a member of a key panel of the PDP, and even attempted to contest for the House of Representatives on the platform of the PDP.

The party said while Mr. Elechi has the right to hold any public office in spite of his political affiliation, 'it is morally unjustifiable to appoint him as the head of the ICPC, which may have cause to probe members of his party which, as the ruling party, has the highest number of political office holders, hence may constitute a proportionate number of those who may be investigated by the commission'.

ACN added: 'Mr. President may want to reward his supporters in the last election by offering them key posts in his administration. But appointing a known PDP member into a body strategically placed at the centre of the country's epic battle against corruption is to show his lack of commitment to the anti-corruption fight.'

Last week, international non-governmental organisation ActionAid also criticised the appointment of Mr. Elechi, and asked the President to drop him.

It said the nominee was well known to have connections with key political office holders, some of whom the commission at some point may have to investigate.

“The main problem of the commission since inception is leadership,” ActionAid said. “The challenge has never been with the rank and file of the commission or its agents, but with the type of leadership which has no vibrancy and has always carried some baggage that weighs it down.'

Pana 10/07/2011