‘Anti-Yari Campaigns Handiwork Of Mischief Makers’

A good governance and accountability group, Transparency Watch, has berated those accusing Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari, the Senator representing Zamfara West in the National Assembly of corrupt enrichment, saying they are mischief makers.

The group noted that in recent weeks, Senator Yari’s political and business interests had come under attack by faceless groups and elements pretending to be championing the interest of the public.

But Transparency Watch in a statement signed by its Director of Public Affairs, Cliff Richards, said the Zamfara Concerned Youth Assembly was just involved in a wild goose chase.

According to Transparency Watch, the accusation of sudden wealth by the group following alleged investments by Senator Yari in companies like Geregu Power Plc and Amperion Power, holds no truth.

Further he said the allegations levelled by Zamfara Concerned Youth Assembly for Peace Advocacy, was falsehood intended to tarnish the reputation of Yari to improve humanity.

Transparency Watch maintained that Yari has no record of financial crime and is walking free even after serving as a former governor of Zamfara State, saying he remains one of the few who are not answering questions from the anti-graft agency.

Further, Richards said the Zamfara Concerned Youth Assembly for Peace Advocacy as an organization paid more than a cursory attention to matters of accountability and transparency but was later discovered to have just engaged in a wild goose chase.

The Transparency Watch Director said “as good governance and accountability advocates, our attention was recently drawn to a release from a group that goes by the name, Zamfara Concerned Youth Assembly for Peace Advocacy, wherein it accused Senator Abdul’aziz Abubakar Yari of running into sudden wealth and investing in electricity companies like Geregu Power Plc and Amperion Power.

“However, a cursory peep into the statement from the youth group revealed that Senator Yari’s accusers merely embarked on a wild goose chase. The allegations are not only hollow, they are products of hearsay. The group even admitted that Senator Yari’s name did not appear in any of the documents released after the investigation, yet it nebulously demanded that he should be probed by security agencies.

“We do not see any substance in the allegation as it is not anchored on evidence or concrete facts. The accusers did not present the public with any evidence of corrupt enrichment on the part of Senator Yari.

“What we see instead is a load of fabrications and falsehood designed to tarnish the hard-earned reputation of a patriot who is making genuine effort to add his little quota to the improvement of the country’s ailing economy. We note with interest that as a former governor of his state of Zamfara, Senator Yari has no record of financial crime or sleaze. He remains one of the few ex-governors who are not under probe by any anti-graft agency.

“As a free citizen of Nigeria, Senator Yari is free to go into investments that have the potentials of improving the living condition of Nigerians. This, to the best of our knowledge, is precisely what he is doing . Those querying his investment options are no more than mischief makers who are trying to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. We advise them to go into meaningful engagements rather seeking to witch hunt a people-conscious investor like Senator Yari.”