We Do not Have Authority to Clear or Bar Anyone from Holding Office – EACC

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Saturday refuted claims that it refused to clear Wycliffe Oparanya for appointment as a Cabinet Secretary, calling these allegations a “false narrative”.

The Commission said that in its role in the integrity vetting of candidates for public office under the current law, it cannot clear or bar anyone from holding any office in the land.

“The Commission has noted a false narrative being bandied around by a section of leaders that it “refused to clear Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya for appointment as Cabinet Secretary.” This is not the true position.”

“The Commission clarifies that in its role in the integrity vetting of candidates for public office under the current law, the Commission cannot clear or bar anyone from holding any office in the land. What the Commission does is to provide facts on record regarding the integrity status of each candidate as at the material date, without passing any judgment,” a statement said.

The Commission said it did this for all the CS nominees upon the request of Parliament.

It is now up to the Parliamentary Vetting Committee to decide what to do with that information, it added.

EACC further said that there is nowhere in their letter to the National Assembly where it recommended that anybody should or should not be cleared or appointed.

“The said letter is part of Parliamentary records and anyone can get a copy and read for themselves,” the commission said.

In the same clarification, the Commission said “in our communication with the DPP on his change of mind on the prosecution of Oparanya is a completely different and broader issue and in response to his letter to the Commission on the same.”

For more clarity, there is nowhere in our letter to the National Assembly where the Commission recommended that anybody should or should not be cleared or appointed, the statement added.

“The said letter is part of Parliamentary records and anyone can get a copy and read for themselves.”

It added the Commission’s communication with the DPP on his change of mind on the prosecution of Oparanya is a completely different and broader issue and in response to his letter to the Commission on the same.

This came ahead of Oparanya’s vetting on Sunday August 4.