Former Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state who has been facing series of
investigations including a N6billion fraud, has said that President
Mohammadu Buhari has no capacity to fight corruption.
Yuguda, a former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain who defected to
the All progressive Congress, APC, in 2016, said when any issue of
corruption is brought before President Buhari, he looks the other way.
The former Bauchi Governor was secretly recorded by a WikkiTimes
Investigative Journalist in Bauchi state where Yuguda was meeting with
local observers he paid bribes to write reports in favor of the APC.
WikkiTimes Reporter wrote:
After exchanging pleasantries, Yuguda started lamenting about the state of
affairs in the country; he rciticised President Muhammadu Buhari, saying:
“You would be surprised to know that even Buhari would not fight
corruption in this country.
“Prior to becoming the President, people held him in high esteem as the
only person that could fight corruption, but today if you shout corruption
close to the President’s ears he will look the other way because some
kinds of corruption are too big to be fought.”
He spent several minutes talking and exchanging banters with the domestic
observers, who, from all indications, were not interested in what he was
saying.
Yuguda asked the observers to return the following morning, as he was not
feeling fine. “Please come back tomorrow by 11am, let me see what I can do
for you; but manage what I can be able to afford,” he said to the
dissatisfaction of many of the observers who thought the gratification
would be instant.
The Bauchi state government, in a petition dated November 27, 2015,
accused Yuguda of spending over N6bn on security for five years while in
office.
The petition signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Bello
Illelah, asked the anti-graft commission to investigate the allegations.
The breakdown of the amount, according to the petition, indicated that
N351, 806,000.00 was spent in January, N899, 900,000.00 in February, while
in March, the sum of 2,040,876,500.00 was spent. It added that
738,200,000.00 was spent in April and in May, the sum of 2,150,441,730.00
was spent.
The petition read in part: “I am directed to lodge a petition on behalf of
the state Government. On May 8 and May 18, 2015 respectively, two separate
memorandum were originated by the Commissioner, Ministry for Local
Government Affairs, Bauchi State, Hajiya Talatu Barwa, to the Executive
Governor of Bauchi State, Dr. Isa Yuguda, for the release of the sum of
N1,591,248,744.71 and N600,000,000.00 respectively, totaling
N2,191,248,744.71.
“This amount was supposed to be used for the execution of projects in the
areas of health, education, rural development and security. The projects
were said to cut across all 20 local government areas having direct
bearing to the lives of the people in various communities in the state.
“The sums were spent as security vote requirements in May, 2015 without
executing any health, education and rural development related projects.
“The sum of N1,591,248,744.71 was to be released from the Local Government
Joint Account No. 5030025116, at Fidelity Bank Plc, to the Accountant
General through the Excess Crude Oil Account No. 1243224012 operated at
First City Monument Bank (FCMB).