* Support for APC as decoy
* Trial continues says EFCC source
By David Maxwell
As the race for Aso Villa come 2023 gathers momentum, with the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, scheming to secure the polls, embattled former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emiefele, as well as former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, seem to have found a means of getting a soft landing from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Recall that Emiefele has been standing trail for $4.5bn fraud, money laundering, round tripping and conferment of financial benefits to self and others soon after his arrest by the EFCC in 2023.
Just last week, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, handed over the recovered 753 housing units traced to Emefiele in Abuja to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
The estate, spanning 150,500 square metres, located on Plot 109, Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja, was recovered and became the federal government’s property after a court ordered its final forfeiture in December last year.
A statement by the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, on Tuesday last week, had said the commission’s Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, formally transferred the property during a brief ceremony at the headquarters of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in Abuja same day.
The estate comprises duplexes and other apartment units recovered with the backing of a final forfeiture order given on 2 December 2024 by the Federal High Court in Abuja.
On his part, former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, is facing a 19-count charges brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. He is facing an alleged money laundering trial involving N80.2 billion.
But as the race for Aso Villa hots up, impeccable sources have revealed that Bello and Emiefele have seen a decoy to convince President Tinubu for their pardon, if they work for his re-election.
“You see, both Emiefele and Bello have used political, traditional and religious leaders to beg Tinubu for pardon without success. So as their trial continues, especially with the forfeiture of Emiefele’s massive estate of over 700 housing units, they have realised that they may have found a bait to get such pardon or at least a soft landing from the president.
“Having seen the huge followership Mr President is beginning to gain in the South and the Middle Belt regions of the country, with states hitherto seen as “core People’s Democratic Party, PDP states” like Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom from the South South region now pledging full support for the All Progressives Congress, APC, they feel this is an opportunity they must not miss out on.
“I can therefore tell you without mincing words that they have both revived their lobbying of Tinubu’s men to convince him of they unalloyed support for his re-election bid as payback for his pardon,” one source told AljazirahNigeria Newspapers.
Another source said: “The former governors of both the CBN and Kogi State not lost home in getting a presidential pardon. They have thus seen a leeway to canvas for it with the promise of channeling the support of their entire family and followers to work for President Tinubu’s re-election.
“Don’t forget that over 200 CSOs had pledged their support for Emiefele in the buildup to the 2023 APC presidential primary. And we could all see the huge following Yahaya Bello has that even transcends his time in office as governor.
“Remember the crowd that followed him to the court that he almost miraculously calmed them. Recall that on November 27, 2024, the former governor of Kogi was arraigned on a 19-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering.
Before proceedings began, a crowd had stormed the court — most of them Bello’s supporters.
Security operatives had a hard time controlling the crowd. Many journalists were locked out of the courtroom as tempers flared.
Anenih, who walked in to take the plea of the former governor and his co-defendants, rose abruptly and made for the exit. She announced that she was not going to return until sanity was restored.
Shortly after the judge left the courtroom, Bello stood up and moved to the surging crowd. He then directed his followers and sympathisers to vacate their seats and exit the courtroom.
As he bellowed, his followers left the courtroom one after the other.
To ensure that sanity was maintained, a smiling Bello sat at the entrance and ensured that none of his followers disobeyed the order of the court by making a return.
According to the source quoted earlier, “So this is the kind of followership they are hoping to use as.a ‘bargaining chip’ for a.soft.landing.
But while both of them are obviously seeking for a soft landing, AljazirahNigeria Newspapers can authotatively report that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, shall continue with the ongoing trial of both governors.
According to a staff of the agency who spoke to this medium but asked to remain anonymous as the source isn’t permitted to speak on behalf of the Commission, “It is true that we have heard that they are lobbying the friends of the president to bargain for a.soft landing, but that has in no way got no business with their ongoing trials. The EFCC shall continue with the ongoing trials as that is our duty.”
