Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan
The
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has commenced an investigation
into the administration of Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan.
Investigations on Wednesday revealed
that a team of operatives attached to the Economic Governance Unit of
the commission was entrusted with the responsibility of looking into the
account books of the Delta State Government under Uduaghan.
A reliable source disclosed to our
correspondent that some officials of the state government would appear
before the commission to answer questions in relation with alleged
economic crimes next week.
It was learnt that some former
commissioners and principal officers of the state’s seventh House of
Assembly would be invited by the commission for interrogation.
The source said that one of the principal officers of the House was at the commission’s headquarters last week.
It was gathered that the team investigating the immediate past Delta State administration had not invited the former governor.
It was gathered that Uduaghan’s invitation would be determined by the outcome of the investigation of the invited officials.
“It is not true that Uduaghan and his
aides were quizzed by the commission. Even his aides have not even been
quizzed. The commission has invited some of the officials who served
under the former governor. Some of them are commissioners and others are
principal officers of the House of Assembly.
“Only one of the principal officers
(name withheld) has appeared and left. The others are expected next
week. The governor was not invited. He can only be invited after the
interrogation of the officials involved. For now, he is out of it.”
When our correspondent contacted the
Head, Media and Publicity, EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, to comment on the
story, he said he had not been briefed about the said investigation.
Uduaghan had in May denied an allegation
by a group which accused him of embezzling over N200bn which was
appropriated to the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development
Commission.
The group, under the aegis of the Delta
Youths for Good Governance and Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum had
alleged that the governor had embezzled the money and was speeding up
plans to scrap the commission before leaving office on May 29, 2015.
The leader of the forum, Prince
Kpokpogri, alleged that some members of the state seventh House of
Assembly connived with the governor to secure N40bn bond.
Speaking through his Communications
Manager, Paul Odili, Uduaghan, had, however, said the allegations were
false and mischievous.
Odili said, “People are just heaping all
kinds of allegations against the person of the governor. How can the
governor take such a huge amount of money? It is cheap blackmail because
the governor has the interest of Deltans at heart and he cannot do
that. That allegation is ridiculous and from an ignorant mind.”
Copyright PUNCH.
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