The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) has frozen three bank accounts belonging to the Benue
and Akwa Ibom State governments......
Officials of the two states confirmed
this yesterday, declaring the action as part of the political witch-hunt
against the states.
While Ortom recently defected from the
All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
Senator Godswill Akpabio, the political godfather of the Akwa Ibom State
Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, Wednesday defected to the APC.
In Benue State, the Chief Press
Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Terver Akase, said the commission had
linked the governor to an alleged fraud to the tune of N22 billion but
Ortom denied the allegation.
The EFCC said between June 30, 2015 and
March 2018, the governor ordered the withdrawal of N21.3billion from
four government’s accounts in Guaranty Trust Bank, First Bank of Nigeria
and the United Bank for Africa.
On paper, about N19 billion out of the
money was said to be meant for the payment of six security agencies that
had been deployed in the state to address the incessant clashes between
herdsmen and farmers.
Akase said, “Yes, it is true that
accounts of the Benue State Government have been frozen by EFCC. It is
part of the political witch-hunt against Governor Ortom. The action of
EFCC is already having negative impact on the running of government in
Benue State. It is a move that will affect salaries, pensions and other
sundry payments.
“The question we are asking is; why did
EFCC not investigate the governor’s security votes when he was still a
member of APC? Why start the investigation now?
He warned that the EFCC should not allow itself to be used as an attack dog unleashed against perceived political opponents.
“Let the federal government tell us how
much it has spent on prosecuting the fight against Boko Haram and how
much it spent on the other operations such as Python Dance, Crocodile
Smile and Whirl Stroke.”
He added that Benue has suffered heavy
attacks by Fulani herdsmen since the beginning of the year even as he
said legitimate support were giving security agencies to protect the
people of the state.
“Governor Ortom has not diverted funds. He runs a transparent administration.”
Akase said the state government would
welcome the investigation, but added it should start from the presidency
and go across the 36 states.
“Benue should not be singled out for victimization, intimidation and harassment as the federal government
with its agencies is currently doing,” he said
In Akwa Ibom State, a source said Governor Emmanuel and state accountant-general of the state were shocked by the development.
It said, “The governor was shocked when he was briefed about the development.
“He has demanded explanation from the
EFCC. Our suspicion is that our big friend who just departed is behind
the issue but we will fight this injustice.”
Wilson Uwujaren, spokesman of the anti-graft agency, did not respond to inquiries.
But the Chairman of the Nigerian
Governors’ Forum (NGF), Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari, has described the
freezing of state governments’ accounts was unconstitutional and wrong.
In a statement yesterday, the Zamfara
State governor described such action by anti-corruption agencies as
shutting down of government.
Yari said a state like Benue facing insecurity might not be able to live up to expectations.
“The freezing of any account of the state government whether Benue or anywhere is unconstitutional and is not right,” he said.
“That is shutting down government. Government must spend, most especially Benue that is facing insecurity challenges.
“Well, we don’t know why the EFCC took the action. But if indeed EFFC froze the account, from my point of view, it is wrong.
“This government will not sit down and
oversee unlawful operation from the security agencies. From what
happened yesterday, everyone can understand that government is following
due process and the laws of Nigeria. For one to just send security
agencies to shut down the national assembly, and the action that
followed, that is what gave credit to this government by local and
international community.
“Similar thing had happened in 2011 and
2014 respectively, but nothing was done about it. This time around,
government said enough is enough. But the government of Muhammadu Buhari
is following due process and will never oversee an unlawful activity by
any security agency. So in the case of Benue, I believe something must
be done.”
Meanwhile, a pressure group, Benue
Liberation Front (BLF) has called on the EFCC to stop its alleged
persecution of the Governor Ortom following his defection from the
ruling APC to the PDP.
The group stated that since the governor
defected from the APC to the opposition PDP, “the EFCC has been
detailed by the ruling APC to run down and frustrate the governor and by
extension the people of Benue State.”
In a statement signed by its
Coordinator, YunumTyosor, BLF noted that the EFCC, a supposed anti-grant
agency, was fast losing its moral right to even prosecute alleged
corrupt public officials, adding that “it has now become an attack dog
of the APC-led government and a persecutor of perceived political
opponents of the APC-led government.
“The EFCC has lately conducted itself in
a very low esteem that makes mockery of its anti corruption fight and
indeed cannot absolve itself from the several corruption allegations
that have dogged it under Mr. Ibrahim Magu, whom a DSS report has
indicted as not fit for the coveted office he occupies, which is why the
Senate has declined to conform his nomination as the EFCC Chairman.
“Since Governor Ortom defected from the
APC to the opposition PDP, the EFCC has been detailed by the ruling APC
to run down and frustrate the governor and by extension the people of
Benue State.
“It is on record that the state is the
only state where the EFCC is investigating the security vote of the
governor, even where security votes are clearly meant to be spent on
security matters in the state.
“Even a kindergarten is aware of the
numerous security challenges that Benue State has faced lately and one
wonders if the EFCC expected the governor to keep security funds idle
rather than spend for the benefits of peace and security.
“We are tempted to ask if the governor of Benue state has lost his immunity just because he defected from APC to the PDP.
“All the various security formations in
the state can testify to the support, financially and otherwise that has
been extended to them by Governor Ortom as they battle insecurity in
the state.
“It is unconscionable that the EFCC will
attempt to freeze the accounts of the state government and cripple
governance in the state and throw the citizens of the state into misery
and hardships.
“We join other well-meaning Nigerians to
condemn in strong terms this attack dog role of the EFCC as it offends
our democracy and global best practice,” BLF said.
The group called on the acting
President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to immediately sack the acting Chairman
of EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, describing him as a danger to democracy.
“Magu has also clearly taken sides,
compromised his office in the discharge of his duty, which is against
the oat he took, except of course, he is takinv orders from the
presidency to torment Ortom for daring to defect from APC,” the
statement said.
Unfreeze Benue, Akwa Ibom Accounts Now, PDP Tells Buhari
Reacting to the development, the PDP has
asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately order the unfreezing of
the official accounts of Akwa Ibom and Benue States illegally blocked
by the EFCC.
The party described the action as a direct attack on innocent Nigerians in those states.
In a statement issued by the National
Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP condemned the freezing as
illegal, unconstitutional, overtly wicked and cannot be justified under
any guise within the clear dictates and contemplation of our laws and
practice as a nation.
“The PDP rejects the action of the
federal government and counsels the Buhari presidency not to hide under
the EFCC to unleash punishment and hardship on the people in states
perceived to be averse to his 2019 re-election bid,” it said.
PDP also said by illegally blocking the
flow of funds to these states, the APC-led federal government has
ostensibly commenced a reprehensible design of using economic
deprivation as a political tool to arm-twist governors and states to
support President Buhari’s re-election in 2019.
The statement read, “The APC has been
seeking ways to subjugate Nigerians, for which it has now resorted to
subjecting millions of compatriots already impoverished by the misrule
of the Buhari administration, to face more hardship by seizing funds
legally belonging to them.
“Nigerians are all aware that no section
of our constitution or any law in Nigeria for that matter confers any
agency of the federal government with powers to interfere or put any
restrictions on funds belonging or accruable to states as federating
units of our nation.
“Apart from its state assembly, no other
government body or institution has the powers of appropriation or
restrictions on any funds belonging to the state.”
PDP urged all Nigerians to stand up and
resist this dangerous trend introduced by the desperate APC to subjugate
Nigerians, for which Akwa Ibom and Benue States are now being used to
test the will of the people in this direction.
No comments: