The ‘Rogue’ Governor: Nigerians demand Gov. Yari’s impeachment

Olusesan Laoye and Segun Adeyemi,   Osogbo

The Governor of Zanfara State Alhaji Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari is now under fire at home, over the alleged diversion of the Paris Club allocation of $3milliom (N11 billion) meant for his state, which he was said to have been used to build a hotel in Lagos. He was said to have got into trouble with those who exposed him due to pride and his uncompromising attitude towards some powerful leaders of the party both at the national level and in his state

As the governor battles to redeem his name Economic and Financial Crime commission, EFCC, officials in Lagos revealed that they found a hotel, being constructed by Yari with the $3million allegedly stolen from the Paris Club loan refund.

Apart from the fact that he is now facing the heat in respect of the allegation at home, the generality of the people across the country have expressed their anger over what was described as an abuse of office from someone who is expected to protect the interests of the people under his care as governor of Zanfara state.

Although the governor has denied the allegation, Nigerians who reacted expressed their anger saying that if it were not for the immunity clause in our constitution, which prevented him from being prosecuted, he ought to have been charge to court to purge himself of the allegation and if found guilty, should be in jail.

It was said that the immunity clause in the constitution has been giving  states’ Chief Executives in Nigeria the opportunity to divert public funds and utilize them the way they want, knowing that they would not be accountable for their actions until after four years in office, if they are not reelected  for another four years of second term. It was argued that they perpetrate this acts with impunity because of the legal cover enjoyed under the law of the country, a situation which they said cannot happen in advanced countries.

The Yari scandal is instructive given the fact that he is the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum and his state, Zamfara, is the poorest in the country. Only recently the state was ravaged by cero-spinal meningitis, which he attributed to divine punishment for act of fornication by the people. Coming against the back drop of the government anti corruption fight, many people believe that it was a slap on President Buhari and the APC.

Also this  has sparked off fresh controversy over the immunity governors enjoy to commit criminal offences, which under a normal situation they should have been treated as criminals immediately they are investigated to face trial.

Those who spoke with BusinessHallmark believed that the immunity clause under Section 318 of the constitution which is to prevent the citizenry from dragging their Chief Executives to court on flimsy and frivolous allegations, which could distract their attentions from governance, gives the governors the audacity to steal.

They therefore called for its removal from the constitution.   It was argued as well that the denial of Yari was not tenable because that has always been the case with public officers accused of financial recklessness and criminal offences after which it would be proved that they actually committed the offence they were accused of.

A consensus of opinion of a poll by BusinessHallmark on the issue, revealed that likes of Yari are not fit to hold public office, stressing that those who are supposed to serve the people have now taken them for granted and their attitude now calls for a total change in the way we conduct our affairs. It was also believed that the looting of public funds meant for the development of the country by public officers including civil servants, led the country to its present recession in the economy, and decay moral values.

Those who also spoke on the Yari allegation described both the serving and the former governors as wicked, selfish and insensitive to the plight of ordinary people of the country who are now living in abject poverty.

According to them, the experience of the people in the past 18 years has now called for a rethink and total reorientation of Nigerians on who should be voted for or appointed to serve, saying that the array of people now under investigations and already being charged to court by the Economic and financial Crime Commission, (EFCC) is alarming, an indication that the people should resist sweet talking politicians who after promising good development do contrary when they get to office.

Lack of ideology and well laid down a programmes by political parties was also said to be responsible, as the governors decided on the capital projects, which they inflate to divert chunk of the funds to their private pockets. It was suggested the formulation of clear as in Lagos would ensure that every project is planned for and executed within funding limits.

However, removing the immunity was identified as the main cure for executive recklessness as such would o longer have protection under the law to perpetrate the crime. This move it was further argued would serve as deterrent to others willing to serve, as they would realize that they are no longer covered by any law.  This it was said would also put them on their toes, curtail looting, and give room for accountability and transparency in governance.

There is also the need for state Assemblies to rise up to their responsibility as they are constitutionally mandated to provide checks on the executive. A situation where the governors dictate and determine what happens in the Assemblies is unhealthy for our democracy and is indeed responsible for the financial brigandage going in the states, they said.

Commenting on the allegation against Yari, the president of the Voters Assembly, and human right activist, Comrade Moshood  Erubami  told Businesshallmark that if it was true that he actually committed that offence,  he should be regarded as a saboteur. He said that since it was in a state where Sharia was pronounced and weaker people had been punished for minor offences, he too deserved to be stoned publicly.  He was however of the opinion that the case should be properly investigated by the EFCC because no one is found guilty until otherwise proven by the court of law.

Also in his reaction, the Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State, Hon, Bola Ajao who spoke with Business Hallmark in Osogbo pointed out that, ’’Yes we are now talking about Yari, what about the SFG who has been sanctioned after, a long merry go round of trying to cover up and in house investigative panel instituted under whose care a whooping N500million of the Presidential Initiative of North East (PINE) has been misappropriated. If we may ask, is it not under this regime of change that we now hear about high profile corruption going on. Recently, we also heard about the corruption in Bureau of Public Procurement and all these are under this regime of change mantra’’

He submitted that that the Yari saga, shows that there is a need to rework   the constitution so that offenders would not hide under official cover to evade justice. He pointed out that even if there should be some modicum of immunity for elected chief Executives, this should not be an all-embracing thing to cover misdeeds while in office.

In his own reaction, the Director of Publicity and Strategy of the All Progressives Congress  (APC)  in Osun State, Barrister Kunle Oyatomi who said he was speaking as a lawyer and not a politician, condemned the way public officers, under whatever guise, loot the treasuries.  He however, did not subscribe to the removal of the immunity clause being canvassed by some Nigerians, saying that if removed, it would give room for frivolous allegations against a serving governor and this could be diversionary. He pointed out that any serving or past governor who knows what he is doing or he has done, should be able to account for his stewardships, either while in office or out of office.

‘’As far as  I am concerned, the clause should be retained, because criminal offence has no time limitation, an evidence of this is  the EFCC now recalling the past deeds of governors after leaving office. To me four years is not too long for anyone who has issues against a governor to do so,’’ he said.

While reacting, a Yoruba leader and a member of the Yoruba Patriotic Movement (YPM), Dr. Kunle Olajide, said that, what is being witnessed today in Nigeria shows that those, who are called to serve, are there for themselves and not the people. He argued that there could be an element of truth in the allegations against Yari, saying, ‘’what do you expect him to say, he would not come out to say he diverted his state’s fund to build a hotel. This is why the YPM is now worried about those in office and now bent on monitoring the people to make  the right choice on the persons that would lead them in the coming elections and not those who will go there to steal money with impunity’’

Dr. Doyin Adebowale, a lawyer who is also a lecturer at the University of Ibadan, posited that anybody put in position of authority should be made accountable for his actions. He pointed out that the impunity and the flagrant display of wealth by public officers is alarming. He therefore called for the proper investigation of Yari, so that when he leaves office, he would not escape justice.

Also a governorship aspirant in Oyo State, in 2015, Princess Olabisi Sango Doyin, said that she was shocked when she heard the news of Yari using the Paris Club bail out to build a hotel in Lagos. She was of the opinion that those who made the allegations against Governor Yari cannot just come out with such a heavy allegations, if there is no element of truth in what they have alleged. She too was of the opinion that if not the immunity clause, the governor should be facing charges in court by now to prove that he is innocent.

Also the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja branch, Barrister Bisi Ade Ademuwagun, said that the stories about how the former governors and serving ones take out public fund and the amount  ‘’to me is madness,  we just have to review our laws and the way people are  accorded public offices.’’

Why Yari is in trouble.

Unknown to Nigerians the attitude of Governor Yari to his former boss and mentor has been ascribed to the problem which he is now facing with the people of Zamfara state.

Businesshallmark was reliably informed by a very close associate of Yari and the former governor Senator Ahmed Yerima that lack of respect for his former boss, Yerima was his undoing, saying that other allegations are yet to come up against him regarding the ways he has been running the affairs of the state.

The source informed BusinessHallmark that Yari had been very close to Yerima since he was in school and Yerima took him as a brother. It was said that as a result of the love that Yerima had for him, he catapulted him from level 9 in the state with an appointment of level 12 officer which helped his astronomical rise in the civil service.  It was said that Yerima was instrumental to his being elected as governor but immediately he came into office he ignored him.

It was also said that there was an occasion when the loyalists of Yari asked him to call the bluff of Yerima, which led his removing all the loyalist of Yerima from key offices in the state. One of his loyalists too was said to have boasted that, they have made so much money to match Yerima in any currency.

But unknown to him, some of the people singing his praises are still loyal to Yerima and keeping a close tab on him. It was also alleged that his arrogance has made the people of the state to detest his governance and they are now ready to expose him more. The source further hinted that those against him are just waiting for the appropriate time to come up with further evidence of financial transactions against him.

It was revealed that before exposing the allegations of the diversion of the Paris Club money, there had been altercations between the governor and some of his aides who felt that they were not fairly treated and an elder was called to resolve the matter between them. But Governor Yari rebuffed the elder who later vowed that he would no longer have anything to do with Yari and his government.

However, Yari has strongly defended himself of the allegations. Writing on his behalf  the Nigeria Governors Forum says no money was stolen or embezzled from the Paris-London Club refunds to states or from any other source.

Refuting the claim by some media outlets on  the purported misappropriation of funds, the Head, Media and Public Affairs at NGF Secretariat, Abulrazaque Barkindo, denied the allegation that Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State who doubles as Chairman of the Forum, was building a $3 million hotel from monies stolen from refunds to states

He said: “The reports contain harmful, damaging and libelous insinuations which remain largely unsubstantiated,  despite the fact that it attributes the leaks to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission officials in Lagos.

“Governor Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar has said emphatically that he does not even own a plot of land in Lagos not to talk of a hotel.’’

Barkindo said some officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissio. in Lagos claimed that “they have found a hotel being constructed by Governor Yari with three million dollars he stole from London-Paris Club loan refund to Nigerian states”.

He also quoted the report as saying that “apart from the $3 million, Governor Yari also diverted N500 million from the Paris Club refund to pay off a loan”.

Barkindo described all the claims as wrong, harmful, libelous and misleading disclosures.

He said: “Governor Yari is not building any hotel in Lagos nor were any monies stolen or embezzled from the Paris-London Club refunds to states or from any other source.’’

Bakindo said an online medium quoted the EFCC extensively as its source.

He said the NGF was alarmed that the EFCC continued to feed the media fibs at the expense of its hard-earned reputation as anti-graft agency that Nigerians used to respect.

Barkindo said: “This is perhaps why the EFCC has lost most of the high-profile corruption cases at the law courts after it had unfairly stage-managed media trials and caused their victims personal pain and public umbrage.