The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of shielding senior government officials from accountability, describing the Federal Executive Council as a “Cabinet of Cover-ups” amid renewed calls for an independent investigation into the death of Ms. Mary Habila.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, July 15, by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party alleged that the Federal Government had repeatedly chosen to protect the reputations of top officials instead of ensuring transparent investigations whenever controversies arose.
According to the party, the latest case involving the reported death of Habila at the private residence of the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, reflects what it described as a troubling pattern of official protection.
“This case must also be viewed against an increasingly disturbing pattern in this scandal-prone government of APC under President Bola Tinubu.
“Time and again, whenever serious allegations arise around members of the administration, the default instinct of government is not to facilitate independent scrutiny but to build a wall of political protection around its own.
“Appointees of President Tinubu sit pretty in their offices even as mind-blowing scandals swirl around them,” the statement said.
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The ADC argued that government officials now appear insulated from public accountability despite allegations against them.
“The Tinubu administration appears more eager to defend reputations than to establish facts and submit to accountability.
“Official statements are deployed laden with presumptions and bias even before independent inquiries have even begun.
“It has now become impossible to ignore the impression that this administration now operates a system of scandal insurance for its senior officials, and proximity to power appears to guarantee protection from accountability,” Abdullahi stated.
The party maintained that the circumstances surrounding Habila’s death require an independent investigation, including a full autopsy and the publication of the findings.
It also called on Umahi to step aside while investigations are ongoing.