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Last Updated: Aug 27, 2008 - 11:21:59 AM |
Pres. Umar Musa Yar’Adua came into office with a promise to change the
way business is done in Abuja. He promised to be a “servant leader” and
to uphold the rule of law. More than a year after coming to office, his
actions have made many wonder if the self proclaimed servant leader
really understood the promise he made to Nigerians. From all
indications, Pres. Umar Yar’Adua may have forgotten the pledge or
realized that he was better off following in the footsteps of his
predecessor, Pres. Olusegun Obasanjo.
Investigations by Elendureports.com revealed that some powerful
members of the president’s party have avoided prosecution for crimes as
a result of the president’s protection. This reporter was told by
impeccable sources that the president gave conflicting instructions on
the former power minister, Liyel Imoke and the result is that
anti-corruption agents were confused as to what to do with the former
and now newly elected governor of Cross Rivers State.
After the presidency gave an all clear signal for Liyel Imoke to be
arrested on allegations of corruption during his tenure as the power
minister, the instruction was quickly reversed on the orders of the
president following appeals from Imoke and his backers. At some point
the officer in charge of the case was called from the presidency and he
spoke with a woman who directed him not to arrest Imoke. It is believed
in security circles that the woman who issued that instruction is
Turai, the wife of the president.
Another Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) bigwig who is being shielded
from prosecution is Vincent Ogbulafor, the chairman of the so-called
“largest party in Africa.” Ogbulafor, according to investigations and
documents in our possession was implicated in the stealing of about one
hundred and four million naira from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
After investigations, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other
Related Offences Commission (ICPC) came to the conclusion that
Ogbulafor and others who perpetrated this crime should be prosecuted.
According to sources at the presidency, former President Olusegun
Obasanjo had told Pres. Yar’Adua that Ogbulafor was not fit to be the
chairman of the party because of allegations of corruption against the
former minister and party secretary. These sources, who have knowledge
of what transpired, told Elendureports.com that Pres. Yar’Adua
pooh-poohed the former president because he believed that “Obasanjo was
unjustly accusing Ogbulafor in order to have his candidate, Sam Egwu
emerge chairman of PDP.”
An ICPC document written this year which is in our possession had
indicted Vincent Ogbulafor of corruption and recommended his trial. The
document also indicates that Ogbulafor used one Chris Nwoke as front to
share in the proceeds of a crime involving the fleecing of Nigeria.
Nwoke is alleged to have been paid the sum of N28,000,000 on behalf of
Ogbulafor. The PDP chairman, in a written statement admitted receiving
the sum of N2M. He claimed that the money was a contribution towards
his gubernatorial campaign. The two million naira was collected from
one Emeka Ebilah, one of Ogbulafor’s co-conspirators.
However, the ICPC document on page 4 states: “Although both Ebilah and
Ogbulafor stated in their statements that it was a campaign
contribution towards Ogbulafor’s gubernatorial bid,…the supposed
donation was sufficiently contemporaneous with the fraud at NEIC for
Ogbulafor to have reasonably suspected that it came from the proceeds
of corruption and is accordingly guilty of an offense.”
Elendureports.com has independently confirmed that Emeka Ebilah and
Vincent Ogbulafor both hail from Umuahia and have ties that go beyond
their sojourn in Abuja.
The documents in our possession allege that Emeka Ebilah, then
Secretary of the National Economic Intelligence Committee,, Vincent
Ogbulafor, Minister for Special Duties (Economic Affairs), Emmanuel
Bosah, former Director in charge of budget implementation, Federal
Ministry of Finance, Henry Ikoh, and Jude Nwokoro conspired to steal
the sum of N104M belonging to the Federal Government. The payment,
according to the ICPC was made for fictitious contracts.
Emeka Ebilah, who is described as the “principal suspect” is alleged to
have supplied 3 companies that were paid for contracts they did not
execute. One of the companies is Henchiriko Nig. Ltd. The owner of the
company is Henry Ikoh. He received the sum of N7.5M and has since
refunded the money to government. He is also recommended for trial.
As the secretary of the National Economic Intelligence Committee,
Ebilah was part of the team that verified debts owed to local
contractors by the Federal Government. Vincent Ogbulafor as the then
minister of special duties (economic affairs) supervised the NEIC. It
was during the verification exercise that Ebilah smuggled in the names
of his 3 companies as part of the companies owed by the Federal
Government for contracts.
Elendureports.com is aware that several allegations of corruption have
been made against Vincent Ogbulafor. Pres. Musa Yar’Adua is aware of
some of these allegations. We were reliably informed that Pres.
Olusegun Obasanjo was unhappy with reports from the states concerning
Ogbulafor’s activities during his term as the secretary of the PDP. A
top member of the PDP who has known Ogbulafor for decades described the
PDP chairman as “a man with insatiable appetite for money.” On the day
we spoke with the PDP stalwart he said, “The man just came back from
China yesterday and he was supposed to lead the PDP delegation to the
Democratic Party convention in Denver but he’s gone off to Sokoto. You
know the story about Ogbulafor and Sokoto?” This reporter is aware of
some allegations involving Vincent Ogbulafor and Gov. Wammakko of
Sokoto State.
Why is Pres. Yar’Adua shielding Ogbulafor and other PDP bigwigs from
prosecution? “Well, you know that as the leader of the Party he has to
be seen to hold the party together,” said a source. “But I think if the
President wants to be taken seriously he must move against some of
these big people in our party who have been caught with their hands in
the cookie jar,” he fumed.
Source:Ocnus.net 2008
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