Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, on Tuesday met Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and behind closed-doors inside the inner chamber of the Presidential Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos to beg for help. This comes as indication emerged that President Goodluck Jonathan is in possession of details of an EFCC investigation that exposed how Dimeji Bankole, his deputy, Usman Bayero
Nafada and a few principal officers shared and pocketed N500 million in a corrupt car deal.
Power watchers in Nigeria believe the speaker of House of Representatives is fighting the survival battle presently.
Bankole, who arrived earlier for the meeting, came aboard a presidential jet from Abuja and waited for Obasanjo who came some minutes later in company of his daughter, Kemi.
Obasanjo was received by Bankole just as the speaker accompanied the former president into the inner lounge where they had a meeting that lasted for about 30 minutes.
Earlier the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) joined its counterpart, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in investigating allegations of financial mismanagement of N9billion levelled against Dimeji Bankole, the speaker of the House of Representatives; and other members of the House leadership.
The commission, according to its spokesman and media consultant, Folu Olamiti, commenced investigation after it received petitions against the accused by two different groups.
The petitioners were ‘The Progressives,’ the group of legislators opposed to the continuous stay of Mr. Bankole as speaker; and a civil society group, the Socio Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
After the meeting at the airport, Obasanjo and Bankole came out smiling and refused to speak with journalists who sought to know the reason for the meeting.The Speaker thereafter left in his convoy while Obasanjo returned to the lounge to wait for his flight.
Information available to Elombah.com indicates Jonathan asked to have the report to keep the House of Representatives in control.
EFCC sources confirmed that the agency had indeed forwarded its report to Mr. Jonathan, despite the fact that presidential spokesman Ima Niboro Tuesday issued a press release denying that EFCC submitted the report to President Jonathan.
Mr. Bankole is currently facing increased calls for his resignation amidst increasing calls for him to account for the alleged charges brought by his own fellow representatives.