THE People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate allegations of fraud against Yahaya Bello, Kogi State Governor.
This is contained in a statement signed by Kola Ologbodiyan, the PDP National Secretary, seen by The ICIR on Thursday.
Anti-Corruption Network, a group in Kogi, has revealed that the governor is involved in money laundering worth billions of naira.
According to the PDP, the allegations against the governor explains why the people of Kogi state have been impoverished.
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PDP also called on Bello to “speak out on allegations of putrid deals including allegedly using certain officials of the Kogi State government as well as private individuals and firms to siphon, launder and cart away billions of naira meant for the development of Kogi State”.
The opposition party challenged Bello to speak to the alleged money laundering of billions of naira in several tranches through the award of contracts to “non-legal persons as well as “inactive companies with no transaction descriptions and due Process certification.
“Also, Gov Yahaya Bello should answer to allegations by the Anti-Corruption Network that he siphoned billions of naira through the award of contracts, without due process, to Southbridge Integrated Services Limited to the tune of N624 million, in addition to five other companies which allegedly got between N22 million N129 million, respectively.
“It is indeed disheartening that such funds were monies meant for infrastructural development, provision of healthcare, education facilities, road construction, payment of salaries and pension and other benefits, which have been deprived the people since the inception of the Bello administration,” the statement read in part.
As enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the party further noted that the immunity clause does not prohibit the investigation of a sitting governor or the prosecution of his aides, officials or cronies who were used to steal public funds.
Reacting to the statement, Wilson Uwujaren, spokesperson for the EFCC, told The ICIR that the commission would do its job.
“Nobody told us before we investigate the ones that we have been investigating… so we would do our job,” Uwujaren told The ICIR.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94