Elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, has hit chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) very hard based on the recent pronouncement by the party’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), that he will not probe past leaders.
Buhari had said that “whoever has been indicted of corruption between 1999 to the time of (his) swearing-in would be pardoned.” According to him, like a village sports master, he will draw a line, anybody who involves himself in corruption after he assumes office on 29th May, 2015, will face the music, while no matter how corrupt a person has been before then, he/she would be asked to go and sin no more.
Chief Clark said under the leadership of Gen. Buhari as Federal Commissioner (Minister) of Petroleum, the sum of $2.8 billion went missing. This, according to him, led to the overthrown of the Shehu Shagari Government (1979-1983) when it decided to investigate the $2.8 billion that disappeared from the Midland Bank, London account of Nigerian National Petroleum Cooperation (NNPC) during retired Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo’s era as military Head of State.
Chief Clark also said that the sum of N25,758,532,448 was mismanaged by the Afri-Project Consortium (APC), a company contracted by the PTF as management and project consultants. Gen. Buhari as PTF Chairman was said to have also “delegated to them the power of engineers in all projects requiring such power” which made them assume absolute powers to initiate, approve and execute all projects by the PTF.
Chief Clark took on Gen. Obasanjo (rtd.), describing him as the world’s most corrupt former President. He recalled that the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Obasanjo for allegedly robbing the country of over $900 billion and about N1.4 trillion. “There is a kind of rhyme between Obasanjo and corruption since he indeed is the person who not only institutionalised the monster but legitimised it,” Chief Clark said.
Aminu Tambuwal was not left out as Clark said he evaded arrest for alleged corrupt practices as the then Deputy Whip of the House of Representatives.
On Bukola Saraki, Clark said he is the most corrupt person to have ruled a state in Nigeria going by the dexterity with which he allegedly looted Kwara during his reign as Governor.
“Rotimi Amaechi will not escape prosecution when his immunity cover ends in May 2015. He embezzled N20 billion in 2006 while serving as a Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly with which he acquired the former Reliance Bank Building (N650 million), Fleet House (N400 million) and other choice buildings in the highbrow Old GRA Port Harcourt,” Clark said.
He said Amaechi has also plundered between N250 billion and N500 billion taken as domestic loan and over $100 million foreign loan and thereby mortgaged the future of the people of Rivers State. Clark estimated that Amaechi has mismanaged over N2 trillion revenue accrued to Rivers State as allocation from the Federal Government since he became Governor, in addition to the robust internally generated revenue of the state.
“Mal. Nasir El-Rufai is noted for his culture of impunity dating to the dubious ways he handled the privatisation process at BPE. El-Rufai has not been able to explain what happened to the N32 billion proceeds of sale of Federal Government houses by him as FCT Minister. In the sale of FG houses, Nasir El-Rufai applied for a house No 16 Mambilla Street, PI Maitama on 23rd May, 2007 and issued a letter signed by himself on 21st May. 2007. Thus he allocated the house to himself two days before he applied for it. He was non-resident of the house and he did not bid for it,” said Chief Clark.
Rochas Okorocha was not left out. According to Chief Clark, “Rochas was caught and dismissed for embezzling about $1million through an inflated contract as the Head of National Airport Management Authority. Sneakily, Obasanjo appointed him as a senior aide, without requiring Okorocha to repay the stolen funds. The former Imo Deputy Governor’s Lodge located on High Court Road, behind Government House, Owerri, has been converted to Lamonde Hotel, a holding of Okorocha which was so heavily indebted before he became Governor that the Credit Bureau blacklisted the company from borrowing from the Nigerian money market but today the company debts have been fully paid with government funds.”
As for Rabiu Musa Kwankwanso, the elder statesman accused him of failure to account for the balance of N850,050,982.33 ecological funds alongside another N97,524,000 for which he was to be referred to EFCC/ICPC for investigation and prosecution. Clark said Kwankwaso was also accused of siphoning of N255 billion federal allocations to the 44 local government councils of Kano State; and mismanagement of N4.1 billion Kano State Pensions Trust Fund he inherited from Ibrahim Shekarau’s administration.
On Bola Tinubu, Clark said: “There is no doubt that he has succeeded in turning Lagos State into his private enterprise. He succeeded in doing so, using the same government money he stole during his time as Governor of Lagos and in his position as godfather to the Lagos State Governor.” He dismissed Tinubu as a rogue who takes delight in self-enrichment.
Murtala Nyako, Danjuma Goje, Senator Saminu Turaki, Adamu Abdullahi and Prof. Babalola Borishade were equally accused of various acts of corruption by Chief Clark during the explosive press briefing he held yesterday in Abuja.
He dismissed those in APC as mere hawks and criminals who have corrupted the society by their words and deeds while camouflaging as anti-corruption crusaders.
He advised Mr. President to immediately reorganise the EFCC for effective (News Express).