A constitutional lawyer, Dr. Kayode Ajulo, has supported the call by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, for the disbandment of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption.
Ajulo, in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, backed Malami’s earlier call for the dissolution of the body headed by Prof. Its Sagay.
He alleged that the constitution of PACAC was impeding the work of anti-graft agencies saddled with the fight against corruption.
He said: “There is no way sentiments can take the place of law no matter how idealistic it is, the law is the law.
“You cannot rule against the law, so you cannot rule with people’s whims and caprices by setting up an unknown body to the law in the quest of wanting to fight corruption.”
Ajulo said the job PACAC was Adhoc.
He said: “Any issue of criminality stops with the AGF, who is the Chief Legal Officer of the Federation and under whose office there’s Solicitor-General of the Federation
“It also has Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation and other offices and institutions to ensure the maintenance of law and order.”
He queried the basis for the Adhoc committee against corruption, which, according to him, had been around for five years perpetually.
It would be recalled that Malami had allegedly recommended the disbandment of PACAC, headed by Sagay, to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Malami’s argument was that the committee had outlived its usefulness and should be disbanded like the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property.
PACAC was established in August 2015 with the mandate to promote the reform agenda of government’s anti-corruption effort.
It was also saddled with the responsibility of advising the President in the prosecution of the war against corruption.