FaroukGate scandal: Arrest Honourable Emeka Ihedioha NOW! - Group

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Published on Tuesday, 26 June 2012 12:13

Written by Abdul Mahmud

Expanding the scope of the investigation into the LawanFaroukGate scandal: Arrest Honourable Emeka Ihedioha NOW! by Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL) - This call has arisen from the investigation of the Special Task Force, led by Commissioner of police, Ali Ahmadu into the bribe saga rocking the House of Representatives.

Recall that on Wednesday 13th June 2012, PILL addressed the press on this same subject and called for the resignation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. We stand by our earlier call, gentlemen and ladies of the press. However, the interregnum between when we addressed the last conference on 13th June 2012 and now, we have taken steps to establish the connection of certain principal members of the House of Representatives to the bribe saga; and we have come to the irresistible conclusion, based on the facts within our knowledge, that the Deputy Speaker of the House, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha is connected to the bribe scandal and he has a case to answer.

Gentlemen and Ladies of the press, these are trying times for our country and for an August body as the House of Representatives that is charged that with the constitutional responsibility of law making, it is important that all Nigerians help to restore the confidence in it; but, Nigerians can only come to this decision when the truth is established and the guilt of individual and principal members of the House of Representatives is established. For us, our responsibility is to expose the rotten bones and flesh masquerading as leaders of the House of Representatives.

Our allegations against Honourable Emeka Ihedioha are set out in our petitions to the Special Task Force, Ethics and Privileges Committee of the House of Representatives, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and the Economic and Financial Crime Commission. Permit me to read our petition to the police.

CALL FOR THE ARREST AND INTERROGATION OF HONOURABLE EMEKA IHEDIOHA

Further to the current investigation being undertaken by the Special Task Force into the allegation of bribery levelled by Chief Femi Otedola against the former Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Management of the Oil Subsidy Scheme, Honourable Farouk Lawan, we call for the widening of the scope of the investigation to include a comprehensive look into the activities and the role of the Deputy Speaker of the House, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, in the Farouk Lawan’s bribe saga.

Sir, we make our request based on certain facts that are within our knowledge and in the public domain that point irrevocably to the Deputy Speaker, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha as the inside power figure in the House under whose cover his accomplices, who are members of the House and of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Management of the Oil Subsidy Scheme, operated.

Sir, as you are aware the Police Special Task Force owes Nigerians the greater responsibility of coming to the truth of the bribe saga by unearthing and exposing those who are connected to the shameless incident of bribery and who hide inside the shadowy recesses of the House and pretend that they cannot unearthed and or who work the system within the House to cover their perfidious trails. No matter the positions of these individuals, it is in our national interest to use this opportunity the bribe saga avails us to cleanse the House and redeem its image for our collective good. The greatest failing of any August legislative body is for the citizenry not to repose confidence in it. Sir, it is against this backdrop that the Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL), a legal advocacy and public interest league humbly insists that the Special Task Force averts itself to the following disclosures:

Disclosures

1.     That the bribery was coordinated by Honourable Emeka Ihedioha;

2.     That two members of the House-one, a member of the Ad Hoc Committee and another, a non-member arranged contacts with oil marketers and collected bribes for Honourable Emeka Ihedioha;

3.     That contacts and collections took place at the home of an Honourable member of the House who is also from Imo state as Honourable Emeka Ihedioha;

4.     That Honourable Emeka Ihedioha sat at the core bribe receiving syndicate, with his accomplices (all sitting members of the House) operating from the margins.    

Sir, we make the above disclosures with all seriousness and knowing the grave implication the concealment of facts, by Honourable Emeka Ihedioha and other members who were his accomplices (names withheld) who facilitated and collected bribes from oil marketers, hold for the integrity of the investigation and the anticipated but rather expected outcome that we suspect is designed to meet an expected political objective. We will not allow this to go the way of other investigations before it. Sir, in the light of the afore-going, we put the following questions which we hope we guide your investigation.

Questions

a.     Was Honourable Emeka Ihedioha aware of anything untoward when he prompted Honourable Farouk Lawan to speak to the House on April 18th 2012?

b.     Did Honourable Ihedioha and Honourable Farouk Lawan mislead the House when he asked the latter to address the House on the additional recommendation on the removal of Zenon and Synopsis Enterprises from the Ad Hoc Report on 18th April 2012?

c.      Why didn’t Honourable Emeka Ihedioha call on other members of the committee to verify the claims of Honourable Farouk Lawan that the Ad Hoc Committee had taken a second look into the case of Zenon and Synopsis Enterprises Limited?

d.     Were the additional documents that Honourable Farouk Lawan claimed the Ad Hoc Committee received specifically on Zenon and Synopsis tabled before the session of the whole House for inspection and verification?

e.     Was Honourable Emeka Ihedioha not duty bound to call for inspection and verification as stated in items c and d above?   

f.       Was any motion listed on the Order of Proceedings on the said date for Honourable Lawan Farouk to have made the additional recommendation?

g.     Who were Honourable Emeka Ihedioha’s nominees to the Ad Hoc Committees?

Sir, as a first step towards unearthing the truth, we make the following calls:

1.     That Honourable Emeka Ihedioha be arrested and interrogated to determine his role in the House-shattering bribe saga;

2.     An immediate and unfettered inspection is made of the records of the proceedings of the Ad Hoc Committee and of the House, particularly the records of proceedings of the House on 18th April, 2012.

3.     All call logs and text records of Honourable Emeka Ihedioha be scrutinised;

4.     All financial transactions of Honourable Emeka Ihedioha be investigated;

5.     An order of production is served on Channels Television for production of the audio-visual clip posted on YouTube and titled, ‘$3 million bribery: Farouk Lawan request removal of Otedola’s company from fuel subsidy report’.

6.     The Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL) be allowed to serve interrogatories on your Special Task Force for Honourable Emeka Ihedioha and his other accomplices that we intend to name;

7.     That Honourable Emeka Ihedioha is put to the polygraph test (lie detector test).    

Sir, may we draw your attention to your powers as guaranteed by Sections 23 and 24 of the Police Act, 2004 and Section 10 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 2004; and we request that you exercise legal and statutory duties without fail. However, in the event that you fail to heed to our request as outlined in one (1) through seven (7) above, within seven (7) days of receipt of our letter, we shall not hesitate to seek for a Mandamus to compel you to discharge your public legal duty.

Text of the Press Conference of the Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL) addressed by Abdul Mahmud, President on Monday 25th June, 2012 - Public Interest Lawyers League (PILL). 

Abdul Mahmud

President

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