Fighting corruption will be my priority as president, says ex-governor facing charges for ‘fraud’

Jonah Jang, a former governor of Plateau state, says his priority if elected Nigeria’s president will be to fight corruption.

Addressing reporters in Abuja on Monday, Jang said he is the best candidate to pick the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for 2019.

He added that his experience as a retired military general would be used to tackle the nation’s security challenges.

The former governor, who currently represents Plateau north at the senate, is facing trisl for alleged fraud.

Alongside a former cashier in the office of the secretary of the state government, Yusuf Pam, the Economic and Financial Comes Commission (EFCC) is prosecuting him for allegedly diverting about N6.3 billion public funds before he left office in 2015.

“I will intend to seriously look at the matter of corruption. Fighting corruption will be our priority but not the way this administration is fighting corruption,” Jang said after submitting his nomination form at the PDP secretariat.

“EFCC and ICPC are not established to just follow political opponents. If you want to stop corruption, it is not by arresting people here and there; there is a route where this corruption comes from.”

On his chances of beating bigwigs like former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Senate President Bukola Saraki, who are also presidential aspirants of the PDP, he said: “Seeing my background as an accomplished military general that fought to keep Nigeria as one during the civil war and having governed as a military governor and transited very successfully from military life to democracy, I want to believe that there is no one better qualified than me.”