EFCC dust up files on Wombo

News sources from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC ),  have

Prince Solomon Wombo
Under Investigation by EFCC

informed that the Commission has dusted files in readiness to reopen the investigation into allegations of financial misappropriation levelled against the Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Solomon Wombo.
According to our source, with the coming of the new administration the commission is determined to pursue all abandoned cases before its take off to give it a new slate and focus of pursuit. This new drive is aimed at prosecuting all cases which investigations had been stalled for one reason or another.
 Prince Solomon Wombo who was petitioned by a certain House of Representatives member from the state in 2013 for sleaze in the Bureau of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, is said to be on the list of cases to be reawakened .
This reopening is even as through the years Wombo, through his boss who had strong ties in the commission has suppressed the investigation into matter,  will have to finally face the wrath of the law.
Already our source said the commission has already detailed personnel to Makurdi who will effect his arrest for questioning and assistance into the matter. He said this arrest was just a formal investigation which is intended to clear the issues surrounding misappropriation in which he is entangled.
He further added that the Commission has also received other petitions in which the special adviser was mentioned alongside other members of the Suswam cabinet including the finance commissioner, Mr. Omadachi Oklobia and the Chairman of the Benue Internal Revenue Service ( BIRS ), Mr. Gabriel Asen.

Exposed! Real Reasons why INEC Office in Katsina-Ala was Burnt Down

Facts have emerged revealing the real cause of the arson at the Area office belonging to the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ),  in Katsina Ala early hours of the morning.
The inferno which burnt down the office is discovered to be the handiwork of the disgruntled out going governor who lost his bid to retire at the Senate, to Sen. Barnabas Gemade. This evil act was intended to destroy evidence as part of his plans to institute legal action against INEC and the eventual Victor.
It could be recalled that Suswam through his principal agent at the just concluded Senatorial Elections, Prince Solomon Wombo,  had alleged that they were rigged out of the elections and were heading to the appeals for justice and retrieval of their mandate.
According to him, INEC through the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC ), had compromised and in the event, cancelled polling units in Logo and Katsina-Ala Local Government Areas where he claimed they had won the elections.
However it is common knowledge that the polling units claimed to have been won by Suswam in Logo and Katsina-Ala Local Government Areas were places where he rigged with impunity as much as not allowing accreditation of voters thus the reason to burn down the INEC office to destroy evidence and in effect complicate the legal matter.
The Public Relations Officer of INEC in makurdi, Mr. Ochai has said the commission is yet to ascertain the real cause of the fire but averred that it would have probably been the work of desperate politicians whom they were yet to identify.
Unfortunately for Suswam and his co - travellers, Mr. Ochai said no sensitive materials were destroyed in the burnt down office as all sensitive materials as well as card readers were moved out of the office after the elections as such destroying the office was a futile effort if that was the intent.
This will be the third INEC office to be burnt in the course of the just concluded general elections. All three office are also situated in Benue North-East Senatorial District where the state governor,  Gabriel Suswam was in hot contest with Sen. Barnabas Gemade for the representation of the Senatorial District. While two of these are situated in Suswam's Federal Constituency of Sankera, the third is situated in Gemade's Jechira federal constituency.

Exposed!Why the BIRS, Local Government amendment Tax laws were Hurriedly passed

Gov. Suswam
Signed the bills to cover his financial sleaze

Just days to the Governorship and House of Assembly elections,  the Benue state governor, Rt. Hon. Gabriel Suswam signed into law amendments to the laws governing the Benue Internal Revenue Service ( BIRS ) and the Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs amongst other bills.
This assent was even as the House of Assembly which was supposed to have sat upon and approved these before his assent had fought over them and even ended that seating in a stalemate nasty certain members especially of the opposition All Progressives Congress ( APC ) had walked out the sitting.
Fresh revelations have surfaced as to why these bills were signed into law even with the accompanying crisis that trailed their presentation on the floor of the house.
Sources within the BNHA, have revealed that these bills were rejected by the State Assembly because they were sneaked into the day's proceeding without reflecting them on the order paper sent to the members in preparatory for the sitting's deliberation.
Unfortunately it has been exposed that although the process was believed to be reason for the protest, further investigations have shown that the contents of the bills were the real reason for the protest and subsequent boycott.

Wombo and Oklobia
Major beneficiaries of the bills

According to our source,  the BIRS and Local Government ammendment bills had ulterior motives in the ammendments presented as they are meant to cover the financial under deals of the present administration which had involved itself in serious indicting sharp practices.
Major beneficiaries of these bills were the State Governor,  Gabriel Suswam,  Special Adviser to the Governor on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prince Solomon Wombo, Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Omadachi Oklobia, Chairman of the Benue Internal Revenue Service ( BIRS ), Mr. Gabriel Asen who have greatly enmeshed themselves in financial complications.
According to our source, "the BIRS law was amended to transfer powers inherent in the Board and its Chairman as well as strip it of autonomy in a manner that will make funds accrued to the board an entitlement of the finance commissioner. With this all the monies the governor and Oklobia have been drawing weekly from there could be mentioned as money for bogus capital projects which have already began surface on paper and so written off".
Meanwhile the Chieftaincy and Local Government bill was to also benefit Prince Wombo,  Suswam and his elder brother, Terkur, who is intended to be a major beneficiary of the creation of extra first class chiefdoms.  According to information, the bill was made to hurriedly put in place transition committees headed by chairmen who will be voted large sums of money on paper while nothing goes to the council so as to cover for the unaccountable millions spent on the campaigns in the state by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ).  The money which was largely drawn by Solomon Wombo and Suswam from the joint Accounts,  has become a nightmare for the duo as the are scared what an incoming government may decide to do to them.
Our source further said it was the onus for Suswam's plea to Ortom to take care of him when he is out of office as there was still so much sleaze to cover up in the administration.

Paul Biam is after my life - INEC Collation officer

An Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC ), collation officer in the just concluded general elections has appealed to the Inspector General of Police over an alleged threat to his life.
The collation officer , Dr. Aondoakaa Asambe has written a petition to the Inspector General alleging that the Majority leader of the Benue State House of Assembly,  Hon. Paul Biam is after his life.
According to the petition signed by his attorney, imperial Solicitors and advocates, whose copy was made available to our reporter, Dr. Asambe had turned down a bribe of Two Million Naira from Hon. Paul Biam on the day of the Governorship and House of Assembly elections which was given him by the majority leader to allow him manipulate the elections.
It further stated that when the complainant turned down the bribe, Hon. Biam had threatened to kill all the members of his family if he did not return results above the accredited number.
"That Hon. Paul Biam has vowed before him, to kill him and all the members of his family. Hon. Paul Biam's words are that he should accept the bribe of 2,000,000.00 and rig elections for him or he will kill him and all his family members". It read in part.
Dr. Asambe who had to relocate to makurdi for the final collation of the results due to violence,  has since gone with his family into hiding as he is being trailed by "a red Toyota Corolla car with four armed men who have been parading his house" since the elections.
Dr. Asambe and his attorney have called on the Inspector General of Police to investigate the matter to prevent a loss of lives and injury to him and his family.

More Trouble For Suswam

• As Security demand for his and Oklobia's Passport

Gov. Suswam in fresh trouble

Indications are rife that the problems of the Benue State Governor,  Rt. Hon. Gabriel Suswam may be have compounded with the alleged recent signal for him to submit his international passport to stop him from fleeing the state before inauguration.
Also requested to submit his international passport is the state commissioner for Finance, Mr. Omadachi Oklobia,  who has since planned to embark on a medical trip to India.
According to our source, the state governor who has finalised plans to jet out of the country after losing his senate election to Sen. Barnabas Gemade, before the swearing-in ceremony which would have been conducted by the Speaker of the house, was demanded to hand over his passport to ensure he does not leave the country.
In a similar vein, the state commissioner for Finance, Mr. Omadachi Oklobia is also requested to shelve his planned medical trip till after the swearing-in ceremony.
It was reliably gathered that it was on the strength of this directive that governor Suswam had to cry out the Governor-elect on Tuesday to ensure he is taken care of by the new administration.
Already there is palpable fear in the governor's which also led to the yesterday's prayer session for him and his family.
Oklobia who has been fingered in all financial misappropriation linked to this government is also said to be jittery and afraid of a probe and subsequent indictment.

Ortom Promises Reconciliation

• As he Hosts Former PDP governorship aspirants

Benue Governor elect, Chief Dr Samuel Ortom, has disclosed that he would focus on reconciling the people of the state in the first 100 days of his administration.
He spoke when a group of five

former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship aspirants visited him to congratulate him at his Makurdi residence.
Chief Dr Ortom stated that if the people were united they could do much more than if they went their separate ways.
The former Minister of State, Industry, Trade, and Investment said he would tap the talents of all the people of the state irrespective of ethnicity, political and religious affiliations in order to enable him propel it forward.
He said the aspirants were experienced and patriotic sons and daughters of the state who sought to offer quality service to the people and assured that he would rely on them to deliver on his mandate even as he pledged to promote excellence above sycophancy and mediocrity.
The Governor-elect stated that his doors remained open to the former aspirants who he said were free to offer suggestions about what could be open done as well as draw his attention if he went wrong.
Spokesman of the group, Mr Hingah Biem, while congratulating Chief Dr Ortom urged him to reconcile the people of the state, transform it for the better and intiate policies that would encourage the people particularly youths to respect constituted authority while serving as a positive role model.
He said the people of the state had spoken and that they had accepted their verdict and resolved to give him the needed support to enable him to succeed.
Dr Eugene Aliegba, Barrister Alex Adum, Engr. Ada Chenge, and Andy Uwouku, were together with Mr. Biem.
Later, Mr Akange Audu, who had also aspired to be governor on the platform of All Progressives Congress, APC, joined the group.

Senate Presidency: Akume As The Bride

By Dan Amor

Sen. George Akume

With the pendulum of the Nigerian intricate power calculus swinging in favour of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) following its victory in the March 28, 2015 Presidential and National Assembly polls, the question as to who and who would emerge as new leaders of the 8th Senate and the 8th House of Representatives, respectively, remains a matter for grave national concern. Intrigues, subterfuge, political horse trading, backstabbing, etcetera, are almost at breaking points. The scrambling has just begun, and yet tension is gathering momentum. Whoever emerges as the Senate President will ultimately become the Chairman of the 8th National Assembly Joint Session in a Presidential system of government in which the Legislature is at the epicentre of our democracy. The position is currently being occupied by Senator David Mark of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Benue State in the North Central geo-political zone while the Speaker of the House of Representatives is Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal from Sokoto, North West, who only recently defected from PDP to APC.


For the exalted position of Senate President under the APC, a handful of notable political gladiators are jostling for attention. They include Senator Bukola Saraki, incumbent Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, from Kwara State in the North Central; Senator Danjuma Goje, former Governor of Gombe State, North East; Senator George Akume, currently Senate Minority Leader and former Governor of Benue State, North Central; and, of course, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, former Governor of Nasarawa State, North Central. All of these politicians served as State Governors for two terms,respectively, under PDP and are known to be very wealthy. What this means is that, having made so much money, these parliamentarians need power and influence. But a good number of them have odds against them. From their haunting past records of sleaze while in office and in their private businesses, their lack of decorum and accommodation, their extreme religious sentiments, to the zoning formula of their party, it is certain that the ambition of some of these politicians to preside over the 8th Senate would fall on the rocky ground.

According to analysts, the zero tolerance on corruption mantra of the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency as circulated during his presidential campaign is a progressive policy thrust which would ensure that only those with clean hands would go to equity. And so, given the alleged menacing cloud of sleaze still hanging over some of these gladiators, like the mystical Sword of Damocles, the APC would certainly prefer less corruption-infested elements to lead key positions. First, the party was alleged to have zoned the Senate Presidency position to the North Central and Speakership to the North East. This has narrowed the race for the Senate Presidency to the North Central. One is therefore inclined to assume that the three Distinguished Senators left to slug out the diadem are Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Dr. George Akume, all from North Central. Again, the policy formulators for the incoming administration must see to it that there is fairness in the distribution of key positions reflecting not only ethnic and geopolitical colouration of the country but also religious affiliations. Since Buhari, a Fulani Muslim from the North West has emerged the President with the glaring possibility of another Muslim from the North East emerging as Speaker, it is only fair for a Christian to head the 8th Senate under an APC-controlled Federal Government.

This, analysts believe, would tilt the balance in a multi-religious society like Nigeria. In the absence of an APC Christian Senator-elect from the South East or South South, and the zoning of the position to the North East, and given the fact that the other two contenders, Saraki and Adamu are Muslims, respectively, the odds favour Akume as the next Senate President. One other thing that gives every indication that Dr. Akume will emerge President of the 8th Senate is the way and manner he has helped in stabilizing the 7th Senate as the Senate Minority Leader. While maintaining a fierce radical ideological temperament of the opposition that he led in the Senate for several years, Akume helped in no mean measure in charting a new course for reviving progressive politics in Nigeria culminating in his party’s unprecedented victory in the March 28, 2015 Presidential and National Assembly elections. With his experience as a lawmaker who also doubles as leader of the opposition and stabilizing force in the 7th Senate, Akume, a former governor for eight eventful years, would offer creative ideas for tackling Nigeria’s toughest problems and a new governing philosophy anchored on opportunity, responsibility and community.

Akume is from Christian Tiv, about the fourth largest tribe in Nigeria cutting across four States in the North Central. This makes him a potential crowd puller in the North Central geopolitical zone. What affirms his popularity as a politician is the fact that he became the first governor to have completed two terms since the creation of Benue State and won straight to the Senate for eight years. Whereas his close rivals in the race for the Senate Presidency, Dr. Bukola Saraki has pending issues with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC) in connection with the closure of Societe Generale Bank, and Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, another Fulani Muslim also has a running battle with the EFCC, so far no case has been established against Akume by either the EFCC or the ICPC. For a party like APC, which is determined to fight corruption, its yardstick for appointment and support for its members to key and sensitive positions must go beyond political patronage. Above all, Akume is a foundation member of APC , one of the leading lights of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the party which initiated the merger of various opposition parties to form the APC.

A very humble and loyal party man, Akume is an unrepentant patriot who is committed to the growth and development of the nation’s democracy. Since his defection from the PDP to the ACN four years ago, he has remained one of the leading opposition voices in a democracy in which being in the opposition is vilified. As a lawmaker whose legislative interests traverse Appropriation, Works, Police, Business and Rules, the strength of his contributions, the insights and rigour of his debates command attention. A veteran of many fierce battles in conditions in which parochial interests are staked against the national interest, he has decisively intervened in favour of the latter. For him, the overriding interest of the nation should not be sacrificed either on the altar of political expediency or in pursuit of narrow selfish agenda of the operators of the levers of power. With Akume in the saddle as President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under a progressive, liberal atmosphere, the country will experience a new lease of life.

Born on December 27, 1953, George Akume attended the prestigious premier University of Ibadan where he earned a Bachelors degree in Social Engineering and a Masters degree in Labour Relations. He rose to the position of Permanent Secretary before he retired into politics and subsequently won the 1999 governorship election in Benue State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party and served for eight years. One of the few governors who made it to the Senate in the 2007 political dispensation, Akume is not given to the pomposity and arrogant posturing of those who advertise their class and the swagger of their patrician or aristocratic antecedents. He will surely play an enduring role in deepening the values of our democracy and indeed good governance, if given the chance to lead the 8th National Assembly given his academic background, his wealth of experience and patriotic fervour.

Amor is an Abuja-based journalist and public affairs analyst.