South-east Governors Ask Ogbulafor to Resign

Written by This Day Wednesday, 12 May 2010

South-east governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have asked the National Chairman of the party Prince Vincent Ogbulafor to resign his position.

The national chairman is said to be considering the request made after the governors met with President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday. Former National Secretary of the party and former Governor of Enugu State Okwesilieze Nwodo and former Nigerian Ambassador to Togo Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi are touted as replacement.

Ogbulafor was granted bail yesterday after appearing in court to defend himself of corrupt practices amounting to N104 million.
In spite of calls for him to throw in the towel, he has been defiant, insisting that he would keep his position until proven guilty by a court of law.

But it was gathered that Jonathan had in a meeting with the governors asked them to persuade Ogbulafor to resign on account of corruption charges against him. Jonathan was said to have explained that he could not deal with the moral burden of the issue at this point in time.

Governors of three states namely Sullivan Chime of Enugu, Martins Elechi of Ebonyi and Ikedi Ohakim of Imo attended the meeting. The state chief executives, after the meeting with Jonathan, conveyed the President’s position to Ogbulafor.
But the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party is insisting that Ogbulafor will not resign as he is yet to be found guilty of corruption.

Supporters of the national chairman believe that the trial is politically motivated and that his opponents want him out of the way, ahead of the 2011 general election. While the President has not said he would run next year, there are speculations that he is removing obstacles and putting in place structures that would enable him contest the presidential race.

As the new leader of the party, he is also believed to be fighting to have a grasp of the party machinery.
National Secretary of PDP Alhaji Abubakar Baraje had told THISDAY recently "We don’t want to say that it is part of the political imagination but we believe that the case that was mentioned about 10 years ago when this man was not even the National Chairman or the National Secretary of the party is coming up at this particular moment.
"It is left for Nigerians to judge and it is left in the hands of the judiciary and we believe that at the end of the day the truth shall come and the truth shall triumph."

On whether Ogbulafor would be asked to resign, Baraje said it is not in the party's constitution. He, however, explained that  if he is found guilty, the party would activate the necessary organs of the party to respect the court judgment on the matter.
Ogbulafor, who was the Minister of Special Duties during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, also served as the party’s National Secretary during Dr. Ahmadu Ali’s tenure.

The PDP Governors Forum had nominated him as the National Chairman of the party in 2008 when there was a stalemate in the election between former Governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Sam Egwu and former Senate President Pius Anyim.

Following the ill-health of late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, which culminated in his being taken to Saudi Arabia for treatment on November 23, 2009, and the subsequent move by the National Assembly to make Jonathan the Acting President, Ogbulafor had said that Jonathan should continue to be Acting President while Yar’Adua remained the president.
He also said the North would produce the next president, according to the PDP zoning formula, thereby precluding Jonathan from contesting for the post in the 2011 general election.

President Jonathan’s supporters saw Ogbulafor’s utterances as anti-Jonathan and called for his resignation. Twice the PDP National Chairman fixed the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party and twice it was postponed by the Presidency.
A group loyal to Jonathan, which called itself The Reform Group led by former Senate President Ken Nnamani, accused the chairman of maladministration and financial impropriety and called for his resignation.  He however, denied the allegations.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which had investigated Ogbulafor’s tenure as minister of special duties had given him a clean bill of health.

Out of the blues, the ICPC said the National Chairman had a case to answer, saying Ogbulafor and four others were being investigated for misappropriating N104 million when he was a minister.
They all appeared before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday and was granted bail in the sum of N5 million.     Ogbulafor is standing trial with Emeka Ebilah, Emmanuel Bosah, Henry Ikoh and Jude Nwokoro.

Part of the charges reads: "That you, Vincent Ogbulafor, Emeka Ebilah (m) and Emmanuel Bosah (m) in the month of March 2001 or thereabouts did conspire to use NEIC contract verification panel to verify a fictitious contract purportedly executed on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria by a company known as DHL Consultants and receive for yourselves the sum of N11,519,906.25 as payment for the aforesaid contract and you thereby commited an offence contrary to Section 26 and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Act 200.”