PDP Governors to Meet Jonathan over Ogbulafor

Written by This Day Monday, 26 April 2010

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum and Kwara State governor, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has summoned an emergency meeting of the governors elected on the platform of the party to discuss and harmonise their positions before the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the party expected to hold tomorrow.

They will also meet with Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to present their positions ahead of the NEC, which is expected to discuss critical issues including the move to remove the National Chairman of the party, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, and timetable for the 2011 elections.

A key component of the timetable will be setting deadlines for aspirants to declare their intentions to run for office, including the Presidency. It will also set dates for various primaries, from presidential to national assembly, governorship to state house of assembly

The PDP governors' meeting is expected to hold today at the Kwara State Governor's lodge, Abuja. The meeting is slated for 10 pm.
The announcment for the meeting was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the Governor, Mr. Billy Adedamola. He said the meeting has one item on the agenda, which is the PDP NEC meeting.

THISDAY gathered that the PDP Governors will consider an alternative position on the leadership of PDP in view of the planned arriagnment of Ogbulafor before an Abuja High Court for corrupt practices.
It was further gathered that the PDP governors after the meeting will meet Jonathan to inform him of their position in the morning of Tuesday before the NEC meeting.

THISDAY learnt that the PDP governors will be presenting a unanimous Plan B to be adopted if Ogbulafor is detained by an order of the Abuja High Court for corruption and other related charges.

The Plan B of the governors is that in the event that Ogbulafor is forced to step aside over the charges, the state chief executives may move that the Deputy National Chairman (North), Alhaji Bello Mohammed, be made acting Chairman following the precedent set in the appointment of Jonathan as acting president.

There are indications already that there is a split in the rank of the PDP governors, as some of the governors from the South-south are said to have thrown their support behind the Acting President. The meeting, it was gathered, is to ensure a united position by the governors.

Meanwhile, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) will today take a definite step in its quest to arraign Ogbulafor for fraud and other sundry charges when it seeks the leave of the court to arraign him.

THISDAY gathered that contrary to speculations, Ogbulafor will not be arraigned today in court. The ICPC will, however, in suit No. CR/65/10, seek the leave of the FCT High Court, Abuja to arraign Ogbulafor and four others on a yet-to-be determined date.
The granting of the leave which does not need the appearance of Ogbulafor or four other accused will be heard by Justice Ishaq Bello of FCT High Court, Abuja, Court 3.

Justice Bello is the judge handling the matters of Apo Six and the attempted murder of then Director-General of National Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and now Minister of Information and Communications, Prof Dora Akunyili.
Others that the ICPC will be seeking the nod of the court to arraign at a later date include Emeka Ebilah, Henry Ikoh, Jude Nwokoro and Chukwurah Bosah.

As a prelude to their eventual arraignment for defrauding the Federal Government of about N104m, THISDAY gathered that a team of ICPC operatives has been despatched to Umuahia to arrest Ebilah, Ikoh and Nwokoro who are based in the Abia State capital.
The allegation against Ogbulafor, which predates his tenure as PDP Chairman, is that as Minister for Special Duties (Economic Affairs) under former President Olusegun Obasanjo he (Ogbulafor) in concert with Boash, the Director of Budget Implementation at the Federal Ministry of Finance conspired to verify fictitious contracts.

THISDAY gathered that in establishing the case against Ogbulafor, the ICPC will prove that in the course of administering the National Economic Intelligence Committee (NEIC), which was under his purview as minister, he conspired with the other accused persons to verify some fictitious contracts purportedly executed by companies in which they had interest and subsequently proceeded to ensure that these firms were paid for the non-existent contracts. When the deal was done, the accused persons then shared the proceeds.

While Ebilah supplied the firms that were used in the fraud, Ogbulafor, the same Ebilah and Bosah ensured that the factious contracts were verified as genuine by the NEIC.
Bosah, the ICPC aims to establish, used his position as the Director of Budget Implementation at the Federal Ministry of Finance to ensure that payments were cleared and made at the Finance Ministry.

The fronts allegedly used in the deal were Ikoh and Nwokoro while the companies used and amount verified are Hennchiriko Nig. Ltd (N82,631,093.41), DHL Consultants (N11,519,906) and Chekwas Industries (N6,286,800).
Also, the ICPC will try to establish that Ogbulafor received N2 million directly from Ebilah and other amounts totalling N28 million through a nominee, Chris Nwoke, whom he had allegedly confessed as his associate.

Also, the anti-graft agency will tender evidence of statements of Ogbulafor and the four other accused, contract documents, payment instruments recovered in the course of investigation, the NEIC final report, statements of Col. Austin Akobundu, Emmanuel Okocha and the petition by Chika Nwadibia upon which the investigation was based among other documents.
The ICPC would also establish that part of Ogbulafor’s “loot” was paid through Emotech Nigeria Ltd, which proprietor, Okocha, he had an understanding with to avert any direct links to the 2nd and 5th accused persons.

THISDAY gathered that evidence of Ecobank, which took over African International Bank (AIB) Plc, would be crucial in establishing the case against Ogbulafor and others. The defunct AIB was used in clearing the initial cheques from the transaction.

However, with the takeover of AIB by ECOBANK, the recovery of records of customers of the defunct AIB was facilitated. It was gathered that the inability of the ICPC to get the relevant financial record of the defunct AIB had stalled investigations for some time.  The ICPC will also tender into evidence the bank records of Ogbulafor showing lodgements from the monies paid to him (Ogbulafor) by the 2nd accused.

In the meantime, more trouble has come Ogbulafor’s way following a petition by the South East Democracy Association (SEDA) alleging that Ogbulafor used his position as National Chairman of the PDP to extort, embezzle, swindle and dupe politicians, especially those aspiring for elective positions.

The group in a letter addressed to Acting President Goodluck Jonathan and dated April 20, 2010 opened a “can of worms” on Ogbulafor, which it said makes the PDP National Chairman a “threat to Nigeria’s democracy”.

The petition was signed Chief Kanu Okereke and Dr. Samson Oko Madukwe, President General and Secretary General of SEDA.
Meanwhile, THISDAY gathered that after Ogbulafor’s arraignment, he will have additional nine charges for a different crime added to the current 16 bringing the total to 25. The extra nine charges, according to investigations, are related to fraud committed during his tenure as PDP National Chairman totalling about N400 million.