Corruption is cancer that has eaten deep into the fabrics of our national life. The emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the PDP raised serious concerns among Nigerians most especially the credibility of the candidate As the popular saying goes, show me your friend and I will tell you who you are. Let us take a deep dive into the antecedents of men around the PDP Presidential Flag Bearer, Atiku Abubakar.
Uche Secondus
National Chairman of the PDP, he also doubles as the former Chairman, National Identity Management Commission. Secondus was recently quizzed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, for receiving 23 luxury vehicles valued at N310 million from a controversial businessman, Jide Omokore. Omokore who lifted crude oil repeatedly through his Atlantic Energy but failed to remit the money to the government is under investigation by the anti-graft agency.
As a former Chairman of NIMC, a commission saddled with the responsibility of producing a permanent National Identity card for Nigerians, many Nigerians are still unable to get their permanent National Identity Card.
Bukola Saraki
The former Governor of Kwara State is also the Director General Atiku campaign organization. During his reign as the Governor of Kwara State, he turned governance to comedy, and impoverished the state. Before his emergence as the lord of Kwara politics, he edge out his late father, Olusola Saraki, in the deeply rancorous 2011 general elections and install his favourite candidate and now incumbent governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed, of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, as governor.
Saraki’s uninspiring performance as Governor of Kwara State is still fresh in the minds of Nigerians. As the head of the National Assembly, Saraki has used the Legislative-arm of Government to fight personal vendetta, undermining the Executive-arm of government for the past three years, permitting and tacitly endorsing frivolous motions to unjustly attack the President and the Government, thus, constituting a clog in the wheel of progress of the development of the country and the implementation of the policies of the administration.
Nigerians have not forgotten how Saraki and his cohorts shut down the National Assembly and personalized the National Assembly affairs especially when he was required to answer questions by some law enforcement authorities, The repugnant image of over 90 lawyers following him to the CCT and shutting down the Senate is still fresh in our memories. The non-confirmation of EFCC Chairman, Mallam Ibrahim Magu sent in by the President impeding and threatening to derail the fight against corruption of the Buhari Administration
Gbenga Daniel
A former Governor of Ogun-State and the Director-General Atiku 2019 Campaign organisation. Not long after he became governor, he relocated his children who were schooling in Atlantic Hall, Lagos to England because he found a “better” school for them overseas; another elite school in Surrey, England. The school, Caterham School, cost Gbenga Daniel between (₤3,688.00-(₤7,203.00 or N1,750,329.00) per child per term. That gave many indigenes of Ogun State an indication of what to expect in the education sector of their beloved state.
It was alleged that during his time in office as the Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel consistently perpetrated monumental corruption. He was said to have a penchant for lavishing public funds on personal obsessions.
The Former Governor of Ogun State is currently facing trial by the anti-graft agency over alleged mismanagement of state funds and money laundering. Some of the charges against the former Governor by the EFCC include fraudulently converting the sum of $1,000,000 property of the state government to acquire a share of Glanvill Enthoven and company Nig. Limited, intent to defraud the state the state by converting 2.011 hectares of land situated within the secretariat complex in Abeokuta to the use of Golf lace Resort Hotels Limited, a company which it was said, he had interest but was not authorised by a trust.
Daniels reign as the Governor of the Gateway State was described as the reign of an Emperor and Terror. State resources were used to intimidate opposition members and many residents of the state live in fear of attack by State-sponsored hoodlums.
Bode George
The former military Governor of Ondo State and the former chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA is a stalwart of the PDP in Lagos State.
Bode George was indicted by the EFCC, then headed by Nuhu Ribadu on charges of fraud at the NPA. The EFCC report issued on 1 April 2005 stated that NPA board members, including Chairman Bode George, and the management of the NPA should be held responsible for deliberate and flagrant violations of government rules and regulations governing the award of contracts, and should be sanctioned for contract splitting and inflation of contract price in utter disregard to laid-down government rules and regulations. He was later arrested in Lagos and arraigned alongside four others on a 163 count-charge of conspiracy, disobedience to a lawful order, abuse of office and alleged illegal award of contracts worth N84 billion while he was chairman of the NPA.
The trial judge found them guilty on 47 out of the 68 counts. The total sentences added up to 28 years, but the counts for disobedience to lawful order were ruled to run concurrently for six months, and the counts for contract inflation then to run concurrently for two years. Luckily, reprieve came their way On December 13, 2013, when the Supreme Court discharged the conviction of Bode George.
Dino Melaye
Popularly known as a Dancing Senator, the senator Kogi-Central t the National Assembly has turned the serious business of law making in the red chamber to a comedy house. The deceitful and dramatic senator usually feigns ill-health anytime he is invited by security agencies to face trial. He is currently facing series of corruption charges in court, and recently arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on giving false information to the police. The senator known for producing “online videos” to malign the good name of President Buhari recently jumped out of a moving vehicle while being escorted by armed policemen of the dreaded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to face trial in his home state. Nigerians cannot make the same mistake of entrusting people in the mould of Dino to occupy the National Assembly again.Never!!
Next week’s election Saturday affords Nigerians another opportunity to reject Atiku and his friends some of whom are currently facing corruption charges. The journey to the next level which the Buhari administration has commenced in the last three and half years must be sustained.
