HURIWA challenge EFCC on Ogbulafor's mansion

HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA), a development focused and pro-transparency non-Governmental organization has yesterday called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to institute the immediate probe of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, over recent reports that he allegedly bought a N400 million mansion in Abuja.

This call, according to HURIWA, becomes pertinent in the light of the unholy silence of the PDP national chairman on serious allegations bordering on graft leveled against him in our recent history, including but not limited to claims that Ogbulafor has been harassing governors elected on the PDP platform to part with large sums of money.

The Rights Group lamented that instead of the Peoples Democratic Party’s helmsman Vincent Ogbulafor to come clean and defend himself, the PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Prof. Rafiu Alkali has taken it upon himself to put up a most ludicrous, puirile but not unexpected defence of his chairman.

The Rights Group in a statement made available to Journalists and endorsed by its National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko stated that it is worried that this latest alleged acquisition by Ogbulafor is coming even when the dust generated by the alleged disappearance of N104 million when he served as Economic Affairs minister, is yet to settle. The group that it is shocking that the national Chairman of the ruling party could muster such monumental amount of resources to allegedly acquire a state of the art mansion at a time that Nigeria is undergoing severe austerity measures and at a time that millions of Nigerians do not have the opportunity of getting three quality square meals per day.

Equally unsettling, according to the Human Rights Group, is the refusal of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to act on its’ over two-year in-house report which reportedly recommended Ogbulafor’s prosecution for his role in the alleged disappearance of the said N104 million.

HURIWA finds it amusing that Ogbulafor, who has neither cleared the air on the missing N104 million, nor told Nigerians why the Chief Tony Anenih report recommended his removal as PDP national secretary, would so quickly engage the services of a Professor and a PDP’s national officer, to defend his alleged purchase of a mansion.

HURIWA challenges the PDP national chairman and his spin doctor, Alkali, to publish his (Ogbulafor’s) tax returns for three years preceding his appointment as PDP national chairman, to justify the purchase of a N400 million mansion at a time when President Umaru Yar’Adua is joining other world leaders to preach prudence as the solution to the current global financial meltdown.