A civil society network, Coalition for Good Governance and Accountability (CGGA), has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to look into issues surrounding the removal and purported trial of the former chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property, Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, saying that its findings indicate a predetermined agenda of some highly placed people to manipulatively get rid of him at all cost.
This is just as the coalition described the role of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in the removal of Obono-Obla as ignoble, stressing that the anti-graft commission was used by some interests to launch an unprecedented media trial against the former anti-graft boss.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday in Abuja, the leadership of the coalition led by its chairman, Comrade Habib Olaniyan, and secretary, Comrade Biwom Bassey, said it is mind-boggling that since the purported suspension of Obono-Obla was announced in the media last year, the embattled ex-presidential panel chair has not, till date, received a copy of the letter of suspension.
According to the coalition, the biasness employed by the ICPC and its collaborators to persecute and smear the image of Obono-Obla is a negative indicator to the treatment of current and future public officials, adding that President Buhari should look into the circumstances that led to his suspension.
The statement read: “Chief Okoi Obono-Obla was suspended through media report on or about 11th August, 2019, as the Chairman of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property. Till date he has not received a copy of the letter of suspension.
“Chief Obla was accused of being mindlessly corrupt, fraudulent, etc and directed to report to ICPC through the media. ICPC never served a letter of invitation. A purported letter of invitation was taken to his wife’s law office and served to a stranger found there on the 16th of September 2019.
“After one year of investigation the ICPC rather than turning its report to Mr President has filed spurious charges against Chief Obla in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja . The charges have no relevance to the activities of Chief Obla as Chairman of the Panel. This has confirmed our fear of the predetermined agenda of some highly placed people in government to manipulate the ICPC against Chief Obla because of his determined stance as then Chairman of the Panel.
“The ICPC has always shown bias against Chief Obla by mounting unprecedented media onslaught against him to bedevil him in the eyes of right thinking members of the public. Otherwise why would the icpc release to the media the charges filed against Chief Obla when the said charges had not first been served on him?”
The coalition noted further that, “One of the charges concerns an alleged misappropriation of 19 million. However, this is a red herring. It is clear that Chief Obla has no connection with the purported misappropriation of 19 million in any way. It has not been shown that Chief Obla has any link with the alleged offence or he personally benefited financially or otherwise. In criminal law there is no vacarious liability. Chief Obla therefore cannot be held liable for the sins of his purported aide.
“If this is what ICPC can come out with after one year of investigation of Chief Obla, then it is clear that truly the allegations, suspension and investigation of Chief Obla is politically motivated, a persecution and witch hunt. It is sad that law enforcement agencies are being used to hound innocent people to settle scores. This is immoral and against the letter and spirit of the rule of law.
“The offence committed by Chief Obla was that he did his job with gusto, uncanny patriotism, integrity and fearlessness that did not go down with some fifth columnists. Chief Obla attempted to investigate some corruption cases including the oil block brought by Mobil Oil Producing Unlimited for 2.5 billion dollars (but paid only 650 million dollars) and the seven billion dollars bailout given to commercial banks in the country in 2006 (but controversially written off by the board of directors of Central Bank of Nigeria). This is the price he is paying.
“We urged President Buhari to urgently demand a second look into the circumstances that led to the suspension and subsequent removal of Obono-Obla because an injustice to one is an injustice to all.”
