Two months after concluding the investigation of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Governorship Candidate in Rivers State, Mr. Francis Siminalayi Fubara, for corruption and breach, the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, has now developed cold feet proceeding to the tribunal, fueling speculations that Chairman of the Bureau, Prof. Mohammed Isah, has been compromised.
Pointblanknews.com had earlier reported that Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike was allegedly offering a whooping N100m each to top brass within the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) so that the investigation of the PDP gubernatorial candidate of the state, Siminalayi Fubara be shelved.
Even though the CCB had denied allegations of any attempt to induce or bribe their officials to end the investigation, sources told Pointblanknews.com that the refusal to take Fubara’s case to the Tribunal is a pointer that officials indeed have been paid to “kill the matter.”
Recall that a letter of invitation with reference number CCB/HQ/II&M/007/2267, dated 26th October 2022 and signed by the Director of Intelligence, Investigation & Monitoring, Gwimi Sabastine Peter, had requested Fubara to appear at the CCB interview room, at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
The letter also stated that “This invitation is made pursuant to the mandate and powers of the Bureau as enshrined in the schedule, Part 1, Paragraph 3{e) to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended Section 137 (a) and (b) and 138 (a) and (b) Penal Code Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 and Section 104 of evidence Act 2011”.
Although Fubara refused to appear on the stated date.
In another letter as sited by Pointblanknews.com dated 15th November 2022, Mr Fubara was again summoned to appear before CCB at its headquarters in Abuja on the 25th of November 2022. Again, he did not honor the invitation.
Sources at the CCB had told Pointblanknews.com that the Bureau had planned to swiftly take the matter to the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, for trials. But that decision is yet to be implemented.
Meanwhile, some civil society organizations and stakeholders are already fuming and accusing the leadership of the CCB of failure to prosecute high profile cases before the Bureau.
Many of the stakeholders believe that the Code of conduct Bureau under the current leadership has failed to meet up its statutory mandate of investigating and prosecuting corrupt public office holders and politicians who have not only breached their oath of office but have corruptly enriched themselves through public offices.
Sources told Pointblanknews.com that “It is an open secret that since the current leadership of the Bureau came on board, no single high profile corruption cases have been prosecuted.”
The Coalition for a New Nigeria, CNN, read out a riot out to President Mohammadu Buhari to focus his attention on the Bureau and do the needful.
According to the Chief Scribe of the Coalition, Comrade Tunde Abayomi, Nigerian can no longer tolerate a situation where public officers who are catered for with taxpayers’ money will fail in their obligation to the people.
“How can the Chairman deny Nigerians the opportunity to know about the outcome of investigation carried out about the allegations of corruption and breach of oath of office by public office holders,” he asked.
It could be recalled that in 2022, a member of the Board of the Code of Conduct Bureau. Hon. E.J Agbonayinma who was obviously irritated by the lackluster performance of the Bureau, dragged the Chairman Professor Mohammed Isah to the House of Representatives to defend allegations bordering on incompetence and failure for forward high-profile corruption cases to the Tribunal for prosecution.
At the end, the House of Representative mandated the CCB leadership to go back to the drawing board and work hard to ensure that every pending high profile corruption case is investigated and forwarded for appropriate action at the Tribunal.
However, findings revealed that the chairman in his usual style has ignored and refused to forward these cases to the tribunal for prosecution several months after investigations have been concluded and forwarded to him for further actions.