Date Published: 05/0509

$1.5m deal pitches Turai Yar’Adua against Ogbulafor

Vincent Ogbulafor

Turai Yar'Adua

There are indications that the recent decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national leadership to hand over its Anambra State chapter to the Chief Uchenna Emordi-led executive has put the party’s national chairman, Prince Vincent Ogbulafor on a war path with First Lady Turai Yar’Adua and returnee PDP chieftain in Anambra State, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu.

Turai and Ukachukwu, Pointblanknews.com gathered, are upset with Ogbulafor for “rushing to resolve” the Anambra PDP debacle in favor of Emordi, a move which was said to have jeopardized the First Lady’s commitment to Ukachukwu, who flew the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) governorship flag in Anambra in 2007.

Sources close to Ukachukwu, who is believed to be keen on governing the state next year, disclosed that the politician is particularly upset that the PDP national leadership handed over Anambra PDP to Emordi shortly after he was lured into parting with over $1.5 million and assured that the crisis in Anambra PDP would be resolved in his favor. Emordi is believed to be a protégé of Ukachukwu’s political rival, Chief Chris Uba.

According to the sources, Ukachukwu’s ordeal began shortly after former colleague of his in the House of Representatives introduced him to Kabir Umar Badamasi, Turai’s son-in-law and son of the late Emir of Katsina. Kabir, chairman of the elite committee on special duties of the House of Representatives, Ukachukwu was told, would help him secure Anambra PDP by involving his mother in-law, Turai, believed to be the most powerful First Lady in Nigerian history.

Consequent upon the political-cum business relationship between Ukachukwu and the First Lady, continued one of the sources, the Anambra politician was convinced to “package kolanut gift” of a million US dollars to Turai, and $300,000 and $250,000 to Kabir and his wife, Maryam, respectively.

“You know Ukachukwu made billions from Nasarawa State under Adamu Abdullahi? He is even making billions more in Bayelsa courtesy of Timpriye Silva. So a million or so dollars won’t mean much to somebody who once boasted he gave a duplex to each member of the PDP Working Committee just to get the party’s senatorial ticket in 2003.

“The problem now is that, without notice, Ogbulafor, who had set up several panels to resolve the Anambra PDP crisis, suddenly remembered that there was a court order from Emordi, and handed over the party executive to Chris Uba. Everybody tells Her Excellency (Turai) Ogbulafor must have taken money to take that decision. Unfortunately, Ogbulafor didn’t know the First Lady’s tentacles could spread to Anambra PDP,” one of the sources told Pointblanknews.com.

Pointblanknews.com further gathered that so embarrassed is Kabir and his mother-in-law, Turai that they are breathing down Ogbulafor’s neck to reverse the PDP decision on Anambra to pave way for Ukachukwu. Yar’Adua’s son in-law, Kabir, is said to have masterminded the recent spate of court orders obtained by Ukachukwu, particularly the curious ex-parte orders granted by Justice Othman of an Abuja court.

Ukachukwu’s wife, Nnenna, is also said to be mounting pressure on her husband not to let Anambra PDP slip through their fingers, having spent a fortune in its pursuit.

Ogbulafor, Pointblanknews.com gathered is currently walking a tight rope and reportedly does not want to walk into the kind of bobby trap he stepped into in July 2003, when he, without knowing, foiled the attempt to remove Dr. Chris Ngige from office as Governor of the same Anambra State by using his telephone as then PDP national secretary to connect Ngige to Radio Nigeria.