Erasmus Alaneme
15 August 2008
Abuja — Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), yesterday unveiled a list of 23 former governors that would be interrogated over alleged financial malpractices while in office.
The affected governors include some of those already being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at different courts across the nation.
According to the list obtained by Daily Champion, the 23 governors allegedly involved are: Alh. Sani Yarima (Zamfara), Alh. Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa), Dr. Peter Odili (Rivers), Alh. Ahmed Makarfi (Kaduna), Alh. Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto), Alh. Ahmadu Adamu Muazu (Bauchi), Chief Lucky Igbinedion (Edo), Bola Ahmed Tinubu (Lagos).
Others are: Alh. Saminu Turaki (Jigawa), Chief Orji Kalu (Abia), Victor Attah (Akwa-Ibom), Donald Duke (Cross-River), Chief Achike Udenwa (Imo), Chief Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Mohammed Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), Alh. A. A. Kure (Niger), George I. Akume (Benue), Ali Modu Sherrif (Borno), Ibrahim Idris (Kogi), Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), James Ibori (Delta), and Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo).
Though the ICPC had disclosed that not all the governors may face trial, the commission said that they may have to come forward for interrogation the moment the report submitted by the committee set up to look into their case completes its job
Confirming the list, resident media consultant to the commission, Fola Olamiti, who spoke to Daily Champion on phone yesterday said the rumour making round that the 23 governors will be tried by the ICPC for corruption was not true.
Olamiti said that the list of the governors was those that the committee set up by the ICPC Chairman; Justice Emmanuel Ayoola was mandated to look into the petitions against them.
He told Daily Champion that though most of them may be called in for interrogation, the commission had not made any statement on the issue, pending the conclusion of study on the report submitted by the said committee.
It would be recalled that the ICPC recently made public the setting up of a three-man committee to look into the barrage of petitions against most of the former governors in Nigeria .
The committee at the end of the exercise was said to have submitted its report as well as made some recommendations to the chairman detailing those found to have violated the provisions of the ICPC Act 2000.
Justice Ayoola as at the time of receiving the report was quoted to have promised that, "We are looking at the files. They are 20 or 23 of the former state governors. I believe that in the next two weeks we will know which of them are to be investigated or not."
He stated that the act permits the commission to go after the former state governors once they had lost their immunity, noting, "We don't need an independent counsel to investigate and prosecute them."
Further information gathered from an online publication reveals "Following the terms of the Act, the chairman will now ask the three investigation arms of the commission to start inviting the former governors for interrogation.
"Given that some of the governors have been traveling the world, despite the money-laundering problems they have with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, it would be interesting to see the impact that the landmark entry of the ICPC into the corruption picture makes."
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