The Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) has stated that contrary to speculations in some quarters that it was only the former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu it singled out of the 15 ex-governors the bureau indicted four years ago, the CCB insisted yesterday that its ‘Assets Verification Committee’ was still investigating Dr. Goodluck Jonathan (Bayelsa), now president, and other 14 ex-governors accused of various chargeable offences identified against them.
On October 15, 2006, the CCB indicted 15 ex-governors, which included President Jonathan alongside James Ibori (Delta), Lucky Igbinedion (Edo), Ayo Fayose (Ekiti), Boni Haruna (Adamawa), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Adamu Aliero (Kebbi), Atahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto), Saminu Turaki ( Jigawa), Ahmad Makarfi (Kaduna), Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu), Achike Udenwa (Imo), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi) and Bola Tinubu (Lagos).
Since then, apart from Tinubu who was last Wednesday arraigned before Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar’s three-man panel of Code of Conduct tribunal, nothing had been heard about the rest.
Addressing a press conference yesterday in Abuja, the CCB chairman, Sam Saba, said that the remaining 14 ex-governors and other public officers were still being investigated, and that once the Bureau was convinced that they had a case to answer, it would make public the list of those to be arraigned before the tribunal.
Saba attributed the long period of investigation to some factors.
He said, “It has been an ongoing thing since the year 2006. Admittedly, it has taken such a long time due to some factors.
The need to conduct a thorough investigation, and the time taken to constitute the full complement of the Tribunal after the death of the former chairman, Justice Sanni Murtala (SAN), were some of the the causes of the delay.”
Saba also disclosed that the Boko Haram activities in Borno Sate and the constant killings in the Plateau (Jos) were slowing down investigations of some public officers within those states.
The Jonathan and other ex-governors were alleged to have contravened the CCB ACT of 1990 through false declaration of assets, acquisition of properties outside legitimate income, operation of foreign accounts and running of business enterprises while still in the public service
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