Some of these individuals are both in the ruling party, the APC and the major opposition party, the PDP.
1. Bukola Saraki
Senator Bukola Saraki was the governor of Kwara state between 2003 and 2011. He is currently the Senate president of the 8th Assembly. He just of recent got a stay of the trial he is facing at the Code of Conduct Tribunal by the ruling of the Supreme Court. The Senate president was slammed with a 13-count corruption charge.According to Premium Times of Wednesday, September 16, it had a story captioned, “Conduct Bureau Slams 13-Count Corruption Charge On Senate President, Bukola Saraki.”
The charges included anticipatory declaration of assets to making false declaration of assets in forms filled before the Code of Conduct Bureau while he was the governor of Kwara state, failure to declare some assets acquired while in office, allegedly acquiring assets beyond his legitimate earnings, accusation of operating a foreign account while being a public officer (that is as governor and Senate president).
All these offences were said to have violated the 5th schedule of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended. Saraki was also said to have breached Section 2 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, which is punishable under paragraph 9 of the 5th Schedule of the Constitution.
Saraki who initially had some frictions with his political party, the APC and the presidency in the manner he became the Senate president seems now to have mended all the broken fences between the former two and him. It is as if some horse trading and closing of ranks had been done by the Saraki camp and the president’s men.
It is probable his trial may not see the light of the day. This is because he danced to the tune of the executive arm of the government by overseeing the smooth sail of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s nominee during the ministerial screening. In addition, he now sees eye to eye with the president.
Senator Bukola Saraki, former governor of Kwara state and current Nigerian Senate president
2. Babatunde Raji Fashola
He governed Lagos state between 2007 and 2015. He came up with the slogan, “Eko O ni baje.”In a story on this same platform at least 7 months ago, “Yoruba Leaders Expose Corrupt Dealings Between Fashola and Tinubu.” The Yoruba pan socio-cultural group, Afenifere allegedly accused Fashola that he ran an overinflated administration riddled with corruption for 8 years. The national publicity secretary of the group, Yinka Odumakin alleged that Fashola came only with a Mercedes Benz flat boot and a Sagem handset in 2007. He said he amassed huge sums of wealth due to his corrupt dealings with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the national leader of the APC.
In a related story in The Guardian of Tuesday, September 8 with the headline, “Nigeria’s Political Golden Boy Facing Allegations Of Corruption.” In the story, Fashola was confronted with allegations of misuse of finances, accusations of awarding hugely inflated contracts like the sinking of bore hole and leaving his successor, Akinwunmi Ambode with large debts of over Naira 400 Billion (2.1 Billion Dollars).
The current minister of power, works and housing did not really touch on some of the corrupt allegations when he was asked a related question during his ministerial screening.
Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), former governor of Lagos state and current minister of Power, Works and Housing
3. Chief Godswill Akpabio
He ruled Akwa Ibom state from 2007 to 2015, before Udom Emmanuel succeeded him. He was also alleged to have embezzled the state’s coffers before he left as governor. He is presently the minority leader in the upper chambers.On Wednesday, June 24, Premium Times had a caption. “EFCC Begins Probe Of Ex-Governor Akpabio Over Alleged N108.1bn Fraud.” The investigation into his alleged corrupt charges was as a result of a petition forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission by an Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpeyong. He said Akpabio looted the treasury of Akwa Ibom dry while as governor.
It should be noted that data from the National Bureau of Statistics and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation showed that Akwa Ibom received a staggering Naira 1.6 Trillion from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) between June 2007 and May 2014, the period Akpabio was in charge of the state.
Time will tell if his case will be re-visited when more evidences come in to substantiate Ekpeyong’s petition.
Chief Godswill Akpabio, former governor of Akwa Ibom and current Senate minority leader
4. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi
Amaechi was the governor of Rivers state between 2007 and 2015. He is the new minister of Transport. He received a lot of backlashes when his name was sent to the senate for screening and confirmation as a ministerial appointee. Even right before his name was thought of as a ministerial nominee, he had been in a fierce political battle of wits with his successor, Barrister Nyesom Wike who tried to nail him politically.Wike had set up a judiciary commission of inquiry to try Amaechi for corruption. The panel indicted Amaechi, but he denied all the allegations and said his successor was just crying wolf where there was none.
THE NEWSWRITER on Friday, August 14 published a story titled, “Ministerial Position: Amaechi Blacklisted Over N70bn Fraud.” It stated that due to the gravity of Amaechi’s alleged corrupt practices, the EFCC was picking interest in his case, despite his political affiliation with the president.
During Amaechi’s trying times then, the people of Rivers also called for his probe. They said Amaechi’s sins were many. They stated that he denied pensioners their arrears and stipends and diverted billions of naira meant for the development of the state into his personal purse.
The PDP in Rivers state and Governor Wike really wanted him investigated and prosecuted if found guilty then. However, it seems the dust raised by Amaechi’s ministerial nomination settled down after his inauguration into the federal executive council on Wednesday, November 11.
Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers state and current minister of Transport
5. Theodore Ahamafule Orji (TA Orji)
Interestingly, TA Orji succeeded another Orji, in the person of Orji Uzor Kalu, the governor of Abia state between 1999 and 2007. TA Orji governed from 2007 to 2015. He was the former chief of staff to the former, Orji Uzor Kalu. Before TA Orji became the governor in 2007, he had corruption charges against him by the EFCC. It was even said that if he had not become the governor and enjoyed immunity afterwards, he would have been prosecuted by the anti-graft agency and by extension jailed.Currently, he may not be holding a tangible political office; however he is a member of the upper house of the legislative arm. He is a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria representing one of the 3 senatorial districts of Abia state.
The Sun newspaper of Thursday, July 23 had a story captioned, “How Ex Gov Orji, Wife, Son Squandered N474bn In Abia.”
In a petition sent by Save Abia Initiative for Change, a voluntary association of concerned citizens to the EFCC against the governor, his wife and his son in the same newspaper, the petition had it that the governor mismanaged funds released by the federal government to the state. The petition stated that from January 2011 to March 2015, the federal monthly allocation to the state was N383 billion, total excess crude oil fund was about N55 billion and N33.6 billion Sure-P funds released between 2012 and 2014.
Despite all these monies, there was no substantial infrastructural development in the state during TA Orji’s governorship tenure as all the roads are now dead traps and other infrastructures are all broken down.
Theodore Ahamafule Orji, former governor of Abia state and current senator in the National Assembly
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