Group Slams Gov Ododo For ‘Shielding’ Yahaya Bello From Prosecution
* Petitions Presidency, NGF, PGF, calls for unity against corruption
BY MARYAM SULEIMAN And HIBBATULLAH GABI, Abuja
A civil society organisation, Vanguard for Credible Representation (VCR), has faulted the conduct of the Kogi State governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, for apparently shielding his predecessor and political godfather, Yahaya Bello, from prosecution over alleged multi-billion Naira fraud case.
LEADERSHIP reports that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which declared Bello, the immediate-past governor of Kogi State wanted, has insisted that he must have his day in court following his refusal to honour repeated invites from the anti-graft agency and failure to appear in court for arraignment.
VCR, therefore, described the attendant dramas and intrigues that characterised the failed attempts to arrest the former governor, including his recent visit to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on September 18, as ‘nauseating and demoralising’, adding that the development has made Nigeria a laughing stock.
Vanguard for Credible Representation, which is a national body of harmonised well-meaning Nigerians from different walks of life and across diversities at home and abroad, said it has patiently observed the state and trajectory of the nation under the present administration and has deemed it necessary to contribute to the diligent observation and fact backed suggestions, which most Nigerians were in agreement with.
The group spoke during a media conference themed “Unity In Action: Combating Corruption For a Prosperous Nation”, on Thursday in Abuja.
Speaking at the event, the executive director of VCR, Akinloye Oyeniyi, said, “The drama that ensued in the attempt to bring to trial, the former governor of Kogi State, his excellency, Yahaya Bello, is not only nauseating and demoralising but also has made Nigeria a laughing stock in the international community. The nation is now viewed as a country where certain people of high political status are above the law of the land.
“The alleged obstructive action and antics of the governor of Kogi State, his excellency Alhaji Usman Ododo, is seriously becoming glaring, and we want the governor to be aware that such action is viewed as repugnant and unbecoming of a state governor who swore to uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The protest letter was addressed to the Presidency, the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Governor Ododo, signed by the group’s head of mission, Onche Ugbabe, titled, “The Need To Call The Governor of Kogi State Alhaji Usman Ododo to Order”, describing the Kogi State governor’s actions as unbecoming of an occupant of the office of a state governor and clear breach of the operational protocol of EFCC.
“The effrontery and audacity against the constitution of Nigeria, being displayed has never happened in the history of Nigeria and was hitherto unthought of. We have formally written to Nigeria’s Governor Forum, the Progressive Governor Forum and the Presidency to weigh in and have this matter resolved on the side of the Nigerian people.”
Continuing, Oyeniyi called for a unity of purpose among all and sundry in order to successfully overcome corruption.
“Unity and synergy among our security agencies should not just be a touted theme. It must be a guiding principle for the sake of our nation. We are proud of the progress made so far, but we recognise that there is still much work to be done. Let us work together to build prosperous Nigeria free from corruption.
“We are calling on all the sundry to join hands and also calling on EFCC to also go after other public and private officials and individuals across the nation and bring them to book. Seemingly, closed files should be reopened to retrieve trillions of naira belonging to the Nigeria people,” he stated.
