By Simon Ebegbulem
BENIN—FORMER Foreign Affairs Minister and national leader of Action Congress, AC, Chief Tom Ikimi, yesterday, faulted the call by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that the death of former President Umaru Yar’Adua should be probed by the National Assembly.

Ikimi, who stated that the comment was the personal opinion of Alhaji Lai Muhammed, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to disregard such call, stating that  his major focus now must be on how to reform the electoral system and other problems confronting the nation and not probes that would take the country nowhere.

Chief Ikimi said in his reaction in Benin:   “I read a story which alludes that the AC is calling for a probe of the death of the late president.

“Last week, I attended a meeting of leaders of Action Congress, our National Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, briefed the House of the visit to Katsina to participate in the burial.

“As a national leader of AC and leader of the party in this state, we are very disturbed about the death of the former president and we expressed to the family our condolences as well as to the government of Nigeria.

“We hold the view that as at this time, the family of the late president must be left to mourn the death of their father and former president. We also hold the view that the current President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, should not be distracted from the very difficult task that he has to perform now as president of the country and not be distracted to call for probe of the former president’s death.

“We all know of all kinds of probes that have taken place in Nigeria and we have found out that so far nothing has come out of some of the fundamental probes that have been done.

“It is not the position of the AC that the circumstances of the death of the late president should be probed. The story which was published in the papers, which is credited to the Publicity Secretary of the AC, Lai Mohammed, must be his personal opinion and not that of the party.”