Will Oduah’s Alleged Sins Be Forgiven?

CiCERO IN THE ARENA

Following the controversial statement by a former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, that the sins of the members of the Peoples Democratic Party who joined the ruling party would be forgiven, the main opposition party had described the APC as a sanctuary for corrupt politicians. Ejiofor Alike wonders if the alleged N5 billion hanging on the neck of the former Minister of Aviation, Senator Stella Oduah, would be dropped with her recent defection from the PDP to the APC

A former Minister of Aviation and Senator representing Anambra North, Mrs. Senator Stella Oduah, had in late last month dumped the PDP for the APC, claiming that she wanted to be part of the process of changing the political narrative in the South-east.

A statement issued by APC spokesperson, Salisu Na’inna Dambatta, had revealed that the former minister was received at a brief ceremony in Abuja and admitted into the party by the Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) and Governor of Yobe State, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni; Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State; Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma and the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.

A former National Chairman of the APC, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, had in January 2019 urged members of the opposition party to join the APC so that their sins could be forgiven.

He spoke at the APC rally in Benin City, the Edo State capital, while receiving some members of the PDP into the APC during the rally.

He said: “We have some PDP defectors. They are, Henry Tenebe, Iluobe….Iluobe means I have done something wrong. Yes, once you join the APC, your sins are forgiven.”

In a swift reaction the PDP, through the then Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation (PPCO), Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, averred that Oshiomhole had exposed Buhari and APC members as criminals, describing Buhari’s anti-corruption fight as a ruse.

The PPCO said that Oshiomhole’s confession had “directly confirmed that the APC is a sanctuary of treasury looters and that President Buhari’s fight against corruption is mere racketeering”.

Indeed, some APC members or defected PDP members under investigation are known to have received preferential treatment in the anti-corruption war.

For instance, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had returned 48 houses seized from a former governor of Bayelsa State, and Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Timipre Sylva, claiming that Justice Adeniyi Ademola was the one who thwarted the case in a controversial ruling.

The anti-graft agency said the case was controversial because Sylva was discharged barely a few days to the APC governorship primary in 2015.

However, it was not certain if APC appealed against the judge’s ruling.

The EFCC had also in 2015 commenced probe of a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio over alleged theft of N108.1billion, following a petition forwarded to the commission by an Abuja-based lawyer and activist, Leo Ekpenyong.

However, nobody knows the outcome of the probe since he defected to the APC.

Corruption charges filed against Senator Danjuma Goje by the EFCC were also dropped at the Federal High Court in Jos after the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN) withdrew the charges in July 2019.

While Goje claimed the AGF withdrew the charges because the alleged N25 billion fraud case against him was more of persecution than prosecution, many Nigerians had believed that Malami took the action as a show of appreciation for Goje’s withdrawal from the race for the position of the Senate President to pave the way for the emergence of the government’s preferred candidate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan.

Before Oduah’s defection last month, the Federal High Court in Abuja had in July threatened to issue a warrant for her arrest over her failure to appear in court for her corruption trial.

Justice Inyang Ekwo said he would order the ex-minister’s arrest if she failed to appear for the trial on October 19, 2021 slated for her arraignment in an alleged N5 billion fraud case.

Oduah was billed to be arraigned in July on 25 counts, but she was not in court along with the 4th defendant.

At that day’s proceedings, the prosecuting lawyer, Mr. Hassan Liman, told the judge that all the defendants had been served with the charges as earlier ordered. He expressed displeasure that the former minister was again, not in court without any excuse.

Liman revealed that 32 witnesses had been assembled to testify against Oduah and eight others in order to establish the fraud charges against them.

The judge while fixing October 19 for the arraignment of the former minister, warned the absentee defendants to be in court on the date or have bench warrant of arrest issued against them.

The arraignment of Oduah, alongside Chinese construction giant, CCECC, and six others, charged with laundering funds to the tune of N 5billion, was stalled in February.

The arraignment was initially stalled on February 9 due to the non-service of the charges on the defendants.

Ekwo, then rescheduled her arraignment for Monday, February 22, 2021.

However, when the case was called, although Oduah this time was present in court and was represented by Chief Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), but her arraignment again failed due to non-service of suit on two other defendants.

The EFCC had on December 17, 2020 filed 25 counts accusing the defendants of laundering various sums of money totaling about N5,052,415,984 between February and June 2014.

Before Oduah was charged with the alleged N5 billion fraud, the federal government had in October 2018 slammed criminal charges against her and Senator Hope Uzodimma, following their alleged refusal to declare their assets.

The two separate charges, were lodged before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court by the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property (SPIP).

The duo, who were serving lawmakers, were to answer to a two-count charge that was okayed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN).

While the charge against Oduah was assigned to Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, Uzodimma, who was then a factional gubernatorial flag-bearer of the APC in Imo State, was expected to take his plea before trial Justice Babatunde Quadri.

Now that Oduah has defected before the October 19 adjourned date, Nigerians are anxious to know what will become of the charges.