The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Prince Vincent Ogbulafor appears to be a firm believer in this scriptural passage, “Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”. Hence Ogbulafor has said that “it was apparent that a devil had come to visit the party but said that he would be defeated”.
Ogbulafor has also called on God to intervene in the crisis currently rocking the party.
He is responding to reports that the Chief Judge of the Abuja High Court, Justice Lawal Gumi, has assigned the N170m graft charge against National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party and two others.
In the charge, Ogbulafor was said to have fraudulently received the said N170m while he was the Minister of Special Duties. Why do Nigerians often blame the devil for evils they should rightly blame themselves?
Ogbulafor only has himself to blame. As Chairman of PDP, he is not the leader of the party; Under Ogbulafor, the PDP chair became an errand boy to the presidency!
I remember well that during the crisis that engulfed the Anambra State Chapter of the PDP primary, I asked an Aso Rock insider why President Yar’adua had sidestepped power structure in the PDP to empower hoodlums who now causes confusion.
I was told that Yar’Adua plainly empowered Ogbulafor to take charge and deliver in the Anambra Primary, but he failed; “he was so weak and inept.
When I interjected that Yar’Adua might have made himself unavailable to Ogbulafor, thus depriving him of the necessary support, he then added the clincher:
“The President doesn’t want to be running the PDP from the villa, nobody can do to Anyim Pius Anyim what some characters are doing to Ogbulafor, the man is a big disappointment to say the least and I am restraining myself here…this President is not like Baba who micromanages everything…the President is very much accessible to Ogbulafor, he is here at the villa at least twice a week, it’s just that when he is here, he pursues other matters, that’s why he has lost the respect of many”
According to this gentleman therefore, Ogbulafor, “is at the villa at least twice a week” but the problem is that instead of discussing the problems of the party and how to solve them, Ogbulafor only come to pursue government contracts and “that is why he has lost all respect”!
He cannot deliver because he is more interested in government contracts than in ensuring proper democracy in the PDP.
It is equally disingenuous – as some are inclined to do – to blame Ogulafor’s woes on the acting president. Some accuse Jonathan Goodluck on a vendetta mission simply because Ogbulafor allegedly opposed his ascendancy to office.
In November 2009, I published among other issues a petition to the ICPC dated July 4, 2009, an NGO sent to the ICPC accusing Ogbulafor of buying a house worth N400 million within three months of becoming the ruling party’s chairman.
The PDP Chairman was also accused of misappropriating N104 million belonging to the Federal Government when he was Minister of Special Duties (Economic Affairs).
According to the petition, “The sum of N104 million belonging to the Federal Government was distributed under the supervision and or connivance of Prince Ogbulafor. The federal government did not receive any consideration on the above sum as they were distributed and paid out for the execution of no-existent contract.
“Prince Ogbulafor and several others shared the loot and doctored the papers to cover their paths. Prince Ogbulafor, in a rare show of honesty in dishonesty, admitted receiving N2 million from the said lump sum. He, however, claimed it was ex-gratia payments to aid him pursue an undisclosed political venture.”
The offences were allegedly committed by Ogbulafor and others charged with him in March 2001.
If the President, Umaru Yar’adua failed to act on the petition when it was made, why would anyone henceforth blame the Acting President in his effort to fulfill the pledge he made on assuming duties to re-invigorate the war against corruption?
Others currently charged with Ogbulafor are Secretary/Member of the National Economic Intelligence Committee, Emeka Ebilah and Emmanuel Bosah and Director, Budget Implementation, Federal Ministry of Finance.
Count one of the charges reads, ”That you Vincent Ogbulafor , Emeka Ebilah and Emmanuel Bosah in the month of March 2001, being public officers, to wit; Minister In Charge of Special Duties, Secretary/Memebr of the National Economic Intelligence Committee (NEIC) and Director, Budget Implementation, Federal Ministry of Finance respectively, did use your positions to confer corrupt advantage upon yourselves by fraudulently receiving for yourselves through a proxy Henry Ikoh, the sum of N82,631,03.41 from the Federal Government of Nigeria in the name of a company Henchriko Nigeria Limited as payment for a fictitious contract purportedly executed for the Federal Government of Nigeria and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2000.
Ogbulafor and the two other suspects were also accused of conspiracy to use NEIC’s contract verification panel to verify a fictitious contract purportedly executed on behalf of the Federal Government by Henchriko Nig. Ltd. from which they received the sum of N82m.
The PDP Chairman was also accused of using his position as minister of Special Duties to confer corrupt advantage upon himself by fraudulently receiving from the Federal Government the sum of N11.5m as payment for a fictitious contract. The said money was allegedly received through a proxy, Chris Abuajah, in the name of a company, DHL Consultants.
In count five, the trio were accused of using their positions to confer corrupt advantage on themselves by fraudulently receiving from the Federal Government through a proxy, Sunday Nmesirianye, the sum of N13. 7m in the name of Emeprol Co. Limited.
They are also accused of fraudulently receiving N6.2m from the Federal Government through a proxy, Chekwas Obinna, using the name of a company Chekwas Industries Limited, as payment for a fictitious contract executed on behalf of the Federal Government.
Out of the 16 count- charge filed against the suspects, Ogbulafor will answer to 12.
In October 2001, Ogbulafor was said to have received the sum of N28m belonging to the Federal Government from one Emeka Ebilah through a proxy, Chris Nwoke, knowing same to be fraudulently obtained through the verification and payment of fictitious contracts purportedly executed on behalf of the Federal Government, an act which constituted a felony contrary to Section 13 read in conjunction with Section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2000.
The trial is expected to commence next week.
elsdaniel@yahoo.com