2019: Fear grips PDP bigwigs over EFCC crackdown

The Kano State office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was, on Wednesday, May 23, 2018 thrown into pandemonium when supporters of a former governor of the state, Ibrahim Shekarau, attempted to block his rescheduled visit to the anti-graft agency. Hundreds of supporters of the former education minister were said to have thronged the Hajj Camp Road office of the EFCC to protest what they called “persecution” by the agency.

The following day, Shekarau, along with two NJ others, was arraigned before a Federal High Court in Kano for allegedly converting N950 million to personal use. The two others are Ambassador Aminu Bashir Wali and Engr. Mansur Ahamed. They are currently facing trial on a six-count charge of money laundering, contrary to Section 18(a) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 as amended.

Supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) believe that Shekarau’s prosecution is part of the crackdown by the EFCC on the opposition ahead of the 2019 elections. This is especially as it is coming after he indicated interest to run for presidential election in 2019 and granted media interviews where he picked holes with what he termed anti-masses policies of the current administration.

They specifically cited that prior to his invitation by the EFCC, Shekarau, a chieftain of the PDP, had lampooned the anti-graft agency for losing some of its cases in court because it was hasty in prosecuting them.

Shekarau, who declared support for the ongoing fight against corruption but advised the Federal Government to be just and fair to all, reportedly said: “If you rush a thing it would ultimately crash. The anti-graft agency lost the cases because it was in a hurry to prosecute them without conducting proper investigation.’’

Sule Ya’u Sule, his special assistant on media, in a statement, noted that the development was a sign that the president was jittery ahead of the 2019 elections and was seeking to harass strong aspirants, including Shekarau.

“Few weeks after granting a media interview where he scored the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari very low, the anti-corruption agency has now decided to arraign Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau in court on allegation of receiving PDP’s campaign fund.

“Despite lack of concrete evidence, the EFCC is insisting on prosecuting the former governor and minister of education on the allegation that he was offered N25million for logistics during the 2015 elections.

“Since 2016 when the issue of election campaign funds came up, Mallam Shekarau was invited by the EFCC to explain the amount allegedly given to him, along with other stakeholders of the party in Kano State. But he denied receiving the said amount, and challenged the EFCC to produce anyone or concrete evidence to prove that he collected the money.

“Based on this, the former minister was asked to go. However, and surprisingly too, for a reason best known to the EFCC, we received communication from the anti-corruption agency that the former minister was to be arraigned before a Federal High Court in Kano on Thursday this week (May 24, 2018) over the same alleged N25 million election fund.

“We are aware that the coming weeks and months would witness arraignment of opposition leaders, especially top members of the PDP who have refused to decamp to the APC,” the statement alleged.

The former Kano State governor is not the only PDP bigwig crying foul over EFCC’s renewed wave of crackdown that has raised concerns among the embattled opposition. Another former governor, Jonah Jang of Plateau State, was also recently detained and later arraigned by the EFCC before Justice Daniel Longji of the Plateau State High Court in Jos on a 12-count charge bordering on misappropriation of funds, to the tune of N6.3billion. 

Specifically, the EFCC accused Jang of pocketing N2billion released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for disbursement to small and medium enterprises in the state under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Funds (MSMEDF), just a month before the expiration of his tenure in April 2015.

The former governor, now representing Plateau North in the Senate, accused the Minister for Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, of masterminding his unlawful detention by the EFCC.

In a press statement signed by his media consultant, Clinton Garuba, Jang said he was detained by the anti-graft agency after he wrote a letter to the minister seeking the removal of his name from the looters’ list released by the Federal Government. He insisted that he was not deterred and would continue to speak up against the ills of the APC-led government.

“A government renowned for using deodorants in its fight against corruption within the ranks of its supporters, cronies and hallelujah choristers, is not justified when it uses insecticides against Senator Jang and those like him who speak the truth.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Jonah David Jang cannot be broken, dispirited or intimidated. His resolve to be strong for his people is intact. His opinion against a government which allows the killing of innocent citizens in the Middle Belt is unchanged. His position against the transfer of ancestral lands from the people of Middle Belt to herdsmen for grazing reserves or colonies is emphatic. His criticism of the government and its totalitarian tendencies is unstoppable. Therefore, his persecution in the hands of the EFCC will not yield the intended result,” the statement had read.

Another PDP chieftain and former minister of water resources, Mukhtar Shehu Shagari, was arraigned before Justice Idrissa Kolo of the Federal High Court, Sokoto, on a five-count charge of conspiracy and money laundering to the tune of N500million. Charged along with the former minister are Senator Abdullahi Mohammmed Wali, Ibrahim Gidado, Nasiru Dalhatu Bafarawa and Ibrahim Milgoma.

Their arraignment followed allegations that they had received various sums from the $115million allegedly disbursed by a former minister of petroleum resources, Deizani Allison-Madueke, to senior members of the PDP and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to influence the outcome of the 2015 presidential election.

Also, on  Thursday, May 24, 2018, the EFCC arraigned Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the PDP governorship candidate in Edo State; Lucky Imasuen, former Edo State deputy governor; Chief Dan Orbih, PDP chairman in Edo State; Tony Aziegbemi and Efe Erimuoghae  before Justice P.I.Ajoku of the Federal High Court, Benin City,  Edo State  on an eight-count charge bordering on money laundering.ý

The defendants were also alleged to have, sometime in March 2015, in Benin City, directly received the sum of N700million, part of the now infamous $115 Diezani Alison-Madueke bribe to influence the outcome of the 2015 general elections.

Similarly, the commission, at the weekend (Friday) interrogated a former governor of Kaduna State, Ramalan Yero, for four hours at its office in Kaduna.

Although he declined to speak with journalists after his interrogation, his spokesman, Malam Yakubu Lere reportedly said his boss was invited in connection with the N700m campaign funds released to the state by the PDP in 2015.

Recalling that the former governor was at the EFCC office in Kano two years ago over the matter and was granted administrative bail, Lere said: “At that time, he explained during the interrogation that the N700m was sent to him as the then governor of Kaduna State to finance the 2015 general elections, with instructions, which he judiciously followed. Last week, he was here on the same issue; but as you can see, he came out smiling, meaning that the commission found nothing to hold against him for now.” 

 ‘PDP members used as scapegoats’

The Peoples Democratic Party has said the continuous arrest, detention and trial of its key members in Kano and other states was an attempt to ensure it does not reclaim power in 2019, saying its members were being used as scapegoats. 

The national publicity secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, who spoke with our correspondent in a telephone interview, however, said the party would not crumble. 

 “The latest needless onslaught against our key members by the APC-led government is just to deceive Nigerians that the failed anti-corruption war is still on course. We want to ýstate clearly that what is ongoing under the Buhari administration is not a fight against corruption but an attempt at using members of the PDP as scapegoats and cover up for the ineffectual anti-corruption agenda of the current government. 

 “The current wave of arrests, therefore, has nothing to do with the failed anti-corruption war but everything with the 2019 elections.

 “Having failed on major election planks and with nothing to show for its three years in office, the APC government has come to the conclusion that the only way to prevent its inevitable defeat at the polls in 2019 is to hound, harass, intimidate and suppress members of our party into submission. 

 “Our response is that none of APC’s antics at fabrications, harassment of our members, cooked-up corruption allegations, arrests, arraignments and smear campaign will distract the PDP in this all-important mandate by the generality of Nigerian citizens to be their rallying platform to rescue our nation from the economic hardship and oppression that have become the bold label of the dysfunctional APC and its Federal Government,’’ he said.

They should answer for their sins – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of  Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed,  said those claiming that the prosecution of prominent opposition leaders is aimed at cutting their wings were not helping the fight against corruption. 

The minister said this yesterday in Abuja while responding to questions by our reporter on the latest arrest of prominent political figures in the country as the 2019 general elections draw close. He said it was unfortunate that people steal, but when it is time to prosecute them, they start complaining.

Saying that such attitude fuels acts of corruption, he stressed that  politicians had no immunity against arrest over crimes they committed. He, however, said they would not be arrested or prosecuted unjustly.

“It is this attitude that is encouraging corruption. A thief is a thief, whether he is a politician or not,’’ Mohammed said. He added that the  law must take its course, and people could be prosecuted, before and after elections.

The minister further said the Federal Government did not consider the PDP as a serious opposition. He said the ruling party was not trying to muscle the oppostion as some may think, saying it is following the rule of law and due process.

“There is nothing to muscle in the PDP. We don’t even see the party as a serious opposition. All we are doing is following the rule of law and due process. Which part of the criminal law says someone cannot be invited for questioning or prosecuted because election is coming? If you cannot do the time, don’t do the crime.

“When the former governor of Kano State, Ibrahim Shekarau, was investigated, was he given a clean bill of health? Those who are familiar with this kind of case know that investigators can invite and re-invite anyone until they have enough evidence to prosecute,’’ he said.

Lawbreakers must be prosecuted - APC 

But the ruling All Progressives Congress has taunted the PDP for giving political connotation to the current crackdown on its members by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, saying those who broke the law should be prosecuted.

In a telephone interview yesterday, the national publicity secretary of the APC, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the nation’s anti-graft agencies should be allowed to deal with those who broke the law in line with constitutional provisions.  

When told that the crackdown on PDP members by the EFCC had been seen as a one-sided campaign because the harassment of members of the former ruling party was being pursued without any attempt to probe the APC members who financed Mr President’s campaign in 2015, he said, “Our own as a party is that if anybody is found to have broken any law, they should be dealt with in accordance with the law. But the PDP cannot hope that they can blackmail anybody into giving them a blank ticket because they belong to the opposition.

“If anybody is guilty of violating any law, whether they are members of the APC or PDP, they should be dealt with in accordance with the law. 

“So, when the PDP is saying the kind of thing you are telling me, it means they are saying that, ‘yes, we agree we are thieves, but there are also thieves elsewhere.’ That is what they are saying.”

 The EFCC could not be reached for comments at press time as its spokesman’s phone line was unavailable.

Source:https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/2019-fear-grips-pdp-bigwigs-over-efcc-crackdown-252571.html