‘Looting’: Obasanjo Drags Daniel To EFCC

Posted by admin Latest Politics, Ogun, Raw Politics, State News Thursday, February 10th, 2011

The on-going feud between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, has taken a new dimension.

LEADERSHIP sources at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), office in Lagos revealed yesterday that the former president last Friday submitted a strongly worded petition loaded with weighty allegations against the governor.

According to the source, the petition which has been forwarded to the chairman of the EFCC Mrs. Farida Waziri carefully chronicled the alleged financial misdeeds of the embattled governor in his eight years tenure.

The source further revealed “Based on this high profile petition, the operatives of the commission have resurrected the case-file of Daniel in readiness to bring him to book once his tenure is over in May this year”.

The petition it was gathered is receiving all the attention of the Commission because of the calibre of the petitioner. “This is one petition that must be given serious attention because of the source and the manner in which it was presented. It emanated from a very important personality in the State and it carefully chronicled some of the alleged misdeeds of the governor during the eight years he presided over the affairs of the state. We must do something about this petition,” said the senior EFCC operative.

Meanwhile, Femi Babafemi, spokesperson to the anti-graft agency in a telephone interview confirmed to LEADERSHIP that the investigation of financial recklessness in Ogun State during the eight years of Governor Daniel’s tenure was on going. When asked whether the former president submitted a petition against Daniel he replied “no comment”

The petition according to the EFCC source listed a range of allegations which included outright diversion of funds meant for local government areas in the state to unauthorized borrowings. According to the petitioner, the debt profile of the state has almost hit the one trillion naira mark.

In a related development, an Ogun State High Court yesterday voided the harmonization of Ogun state chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) declaring it “illegal, null and void”.

The presiding Judge Justice A.O.Jibodu in his ruling declared that “by virtue of the provisions of article 14.1 of the constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party, the Claimants who were duly elected on the 28th of February, 2008 as Chairman and Officers of the Ogun State executive committee of the party are entitled to hold the offices into which they were elected as set out opposite their names in the Schedule annexed to the summons for a term of four years commencing from the 28th of February 2008”.

The ruling declared, “the claimants are still holders of the offices set out opposite their respective names in the schedule annexed to the summons in the Ogun State Executive committee of PDP. It is hereby declared that the purported harmonization the Ogun State executive of the PDP as contained in a letter dated 30th July 2010 issued by the 2nd defendant (Alhaji Abubakir Kawu Baraje) is unconstitutional null and void.”

The court was ruling in a suit filled by the chairman of Daniel group Chief Joju Fadairo and 26 others against the national chairman of PDP and three other defendants.

Daniel faction wanted the court to declare by virtue of the provision of article 14.1 of the PDP the plaintiffs who were duly elected on the 28th of February, 2008 as chairman and officers of the Ogun State executive committee are entitled to hold the offices set out opposite their names in the schedule for a term of four years commencing from the 28th of February 2008.

Daniel group also sought the court to declare that they are still chairman and members of the state executive of PDP.’Article 12.72(e) of the constitution of PDP 2009 (as amended ) which empowers the national Executive of the party to dissolve a duly elected Executives before the expiration of its tenure of office under article 14.1 is repugnant to inconsistent with the provisions of section 223 (1) (a)and (2)(a) of the constitution of Nigeria of 1999 and therefore is unconstitutional null and void.

The group also wanted the court to declare the harmonization of Ogun executives of the party null, void and of no consequence.

Reacting to the ruling one of the counsels to Obasanjo group, Ajibola Oliyide said the ruling lacks merit because the presiding Judge the not listen to the parties concern before giving the ruling.

“The whole thing is a sham; you cannot rule on an issue like that without all the parties represented. The next line of action shall be unfolded in due course’

Also Chairman of Daniel led faction, Joju Fadairo, described the ruling as victory for democracy. He said “it is now very clear that justice can be delayed but never be denied”.

It could recalled that recently an Abuja high court had gave an injunction restraining INEC from recognizing Daniel faction of PDP executives in Ogun State claiming that it had been dissolved by the national body of the party a situation which gave Obasanjo group an upper hand in the political landscape of the state.

-Leadership

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