Sufuyan Ojeifo
24 April 2008
Abuja — On-the-run Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello is weighing two options in her confrontation with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the Ministry of Health unspent vote scandal.
Sources told THISDAY yesterday that all that the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health wants "is to be treated with dignity by the anti-graft agency".
However, contrary to claims by the Senate that EFCC did not follow due process in its search for the embattled senator, THISDAY is in possession of a copy of the letter written to the Senate President requesting to "interview" the members of the Senate Committee on Health.
Obasanjo-Bello, according to sources in the know, is offering to make herself available only to the Abuja High Court on Tuesday next week when hearing continues in the 56-count charge of graft against the former Minister of Health, Professor Adenike Grange, and other officials of the health ministry.
"She does not want to be arrested or detained by the EFCC at all," the source said. "Since other accused are on bail, she wants to clear her name without being subjected to the humiliation of detention."
The other option, THISDAY was informed, was that the EFCC should drop the case against her because she believes she has done nothing wrong.
"She believes that there is no case against her and that the EFCC should eat a humble pie and admit that fact," the source said.
She had earlier told the British Broadcasting Corpor-ation (BBC) that she was being haunted because of her father, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the immediate past president of Nigeria.
The EFCC has, however, vowed to pursue the case to a logical conclusion because she has a case to answer.
An official of the anti-graft agency told THISDAY yesterday that there was "no chance" that the EFCC would drop the case against her.
"Before she went on to spend the N10million which was her share from the unspent vote, we told her to return the money. We told her it was proceeds from crime. She refused. Instead, she went ahead to hold the purported conference in Ghana just to legitimise the crime," the official said.
THISDAY also saw the letter written to the Senate President by the EFCC requesting to quiz members of the Health Committee, of which Obasanjo-Bello was the chairman.
The letter, dated March 27, 2008 with reference no CR 3000/X/ABJ/AFF3 VOL 27/232, was written by Mohammed Babakura on behalf of the Acting Chairman of EFCC and directed to the Chief of Staff to the Senate President.
Entitled "Investigation Activities/Letter of Invitation/Senate Committee on Health", the letter read: "This Office is currently investigating a case of Fraud and Abuse of Office in which the need for the above mentioned committee members to clarify some issues has become imperative.
"In the light of this, you are kindly requested to release the Distinguished Senators to honour an interview with the Ag Executive Chairman through the undersigned at Idiagbon House, No. 5 Formella Street, Wuse 2 on 2nd April, 2008 at 10am prompt.
"Your cooperation in this regard will be highly appreciated, please."
On Tuesday, Senate spoke-sman, Senator Ayogu Eze, had accused the EFCC of not following due process and rule of law in its search for Obasanjo-Bello.
Yesterday, however, the Senate admitted that the lingering face-off between EFCC and Obasanjo-Bello was beyond it as the matter involved had been taken to court.
Eze, who briefed journalists on the issue, said that Obasanjo-Bello would have her day in court once she was formally charged to court.
He stated that the Senate would not support her if she was eventually found by the court to have committed an offence.
He stressed that as of now the Senate had examined all the issues involved and had come to the conclusion within the context of legislative practices worldwide that she had not procedurally done anything wrong.
Eze spoke against the backdrop of reports in some section of the media that Obasanjo-Bello, who has been on the run since last week, was hiding in the official residence of the Senate President, Senator David Mark.
According to her, "The Senate, as a body, is highly embarrassed by some of the newspaper reports, which alleged that Senator Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello is hiding in the residence of the Senate President.
"I believe that any reporter that is in this National Assembly knows that there is no officer of the Senate, no Senator that is as accessible as the current Senate President. This is the only Senate President that I have had the privilege of going to his house even by 1 or 2 a.m. and I still find senators caucusing and having audience with him."
The Senate spokesperson said: "It is not true that Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello is hiding in the Senate President's house. It is also not fair to have gone ahead with that report without first of all checking with me or checking with the Senate President or checking with his media advisers or going to his house to find out.
"The Senate President's house is very open. He maintains an open door both at the gate and inside the house and anybody can go in and come out any time of the day. The matter of Obasanjo as I told you yesterday is a matter that is almost beyond all of us.
"That matter is a matter that is being charged to court and I did tell you yesterday (Tuesday) that when due process is followed, there is nobody who can find an excuse to say that she is missing."
Eze said that Obasanjo-Bello was not missing, stressing that this did not mean that she was hiding in the Senate President's house.
According to him, "Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello, I am sure, will be ready to go to court to answer to charges against her if there are any and I also want to caution that when we want to do our reports, we should be mindful of the sensibilities of the other people because for us to splash in the newspapers today that we know the whereabouts of Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello."
He challenged anybody who claimed that she was hiding in Mark's house to provide the evidence, stressing, "I want to say to Nigerians today that anybody who has evidence that she is staying in Senator Mark's house he or she should say so."
According to him, "Senator Mark is the Chairman of the National Assembly; he is the President of the Senate and he is therefore the manager of all members of the National Assembly and both members of the Upper and Lower Chambers have unfettered access to him and I believe that if there is a case against anybody in this National Assembly, it would be proper that the Senate President would like to get the full briefs of what is happening before allowing such a person to first of all go and face the situation, which is the subject of what we did in the close session that I briefed on about two weeks ago.
"I believe that this matter is being handled very properly and due process is going to be observed. The day that Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello is to appear in court, she will keep the appointment.
"This country is a country that is currently emphasising due process and rule of law. So, due process and rule of law will be followed in this matter and there is no need why the Senate President will have to go and harbour anybody in his house."
He said that nobody in the country was above the law and that Obasanjo-Bello was not an exception.
He stated, "She had made herself available to the EFCC. I am fully aware that she had made more than one visit to the EFCC. At least, on two occasions, she had gone to the EFCC; she had made herself available; she had answered some of the issues that have been posed to her and I think we should de-emphasise the culture of presuming somebody guilty before the judgment is passed because it is not for you or I to pronounce a particular judgment because we will be prejudicing the work of the law courts.
"The EFCC that took her in her wisdom to court is not a stupid organisation. They know what out statutes provide for in that kind of matter and that is why they have charged her to court. Why don't you allow due process to be followed rather than indulging in all these kinds of speculations that we are doing here."
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"A fruit does not fall too far from the tree" we are told. It is difficult to see someone with "Obasanjo" in her genes behaving differently. She is likely to become a prostitute if care is not taken.
Iyabo had told the world that she is prosecuted because of her family name but at the same she is predicating a condition to surrender again because of her family name. This is a lady who speaks from both sides of her mouth and supported by David Mark led Senate to hoodwink the naive Nigeria populace.
Iyabo is used to making her own rules and finds it difficult to obey the law of any land including Nigeria hence she is giving a condition to surrender to EFCC. Is her prestige more important than various Governors that submitted to EFCC and later released on bail pending trial. The President has made it clear that his administration would adhere to the rule of law and if that is true then the Iyabo saga is a test to the current dispensation.
We cannot have two republics in Nigeria, one for the law abiding Nigerians and the other for the Obasanjo's then it is no longer a republic but a Kangaroo court. Iyabo must go through the process or else precedence has been set for future detainees.