President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, welcomed a former Deputy National Chairman (north) of Peoples Democratic Party [PDP], Mr. Babayo Gamawa, who is standing trial for receiving N500 million from the famed Diezani Allison-Madueke slush funds.
He was received by President Buhari at the State House alongside Bauchi State Governor, M.A. Abubakar and Kaulaha Aliyu.
ElombahNews had reported that the suspended deputy national chairman had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) barely 24 hours after his suspension from the party.
Mr. Babayo was suspended by PDP on Monday over anti-party activities.
He was a one-time Speaker of Bauchi State House of Assembly, a former deputy governor and a former senator representing Bauchi North.
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It could be recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] had, on June 7, arraigned Gamawa and five others for N500 million fraud
According to the charge, the accused persons illegally received N500 million in 2015 from the then Minister of Petroleum Resources, Allison-Madueke.
The said monies were disbursed ahead of the 2015 general election to facilitate victory for the PDP in the state.
Gamawa was accused alongside Ibrahim Dandija, an SSG under ex-Governor Isa Yuguda, a one-time Commissioner for Finance, Aminu Hamayo, and a former SSG Dahiru Madaki, Sanusi Isa and Aliyu Jalam.
Reacting to the development, a leading management and financial consultant, Mr. Odilim Enwegbara kicked against the president hobnobbing with criminal suspects. especially as one purportedly fighting corruption.
Responding to the report, Mr. Enwegbara , in a memo to ElombahNews, said:
“Buhari is not fighting corruption. He is fighting PDP, using EFCC to forcefully recruit powerful members of PDP into APC.
“How he does is to first threaten them with possible EFCC arrest.
“So his so-called fight for corruption is a fight against powerful members of PDP who when he puts fear on them forces them to leave PDP for APC.
“In fact, Buhari’s EFCC has become like armed robbers invading your house and telling your beautiful wife to leave you and follow them or else they will blow her head.
“From the one Buhari planned how to smartly make sure that the Chairman of EFCC is never independent from the Aso Rock so that the EFCC is run from the Aso Villa.
“And that is what has been happening. Even he has been threatening a global statesman like Obasanjo too.
“Not only that Buhari’s action of meeting the sacked PDP Deputy National Chairman unjustified, it also shows that in fact Buhari planted him there as an APC mole.
“But is this not anti-political party politics?
“But what the PDP members who are running to Buhari’s APC and who are temporarily having their prosecution suspended do not know is that should Buhari ever be reelected, he will immediately ask EFCC to round them up and start their cases.
“Buhari even revealed that secret when he publicly said, I know I haven’t fought corruption the way I should have.
“But during my second term I will assure you that I definitely. (I am paraphrasing here).
“What this means is that given Buhari’s hatred for the political elite, which he falsely claims not to be a member, he will ferociously jail all these politicians.
“What our corrupt politicians are doing by running to Buhari’s APC is like someone handing the hangman the rope with which to hang him.
“If these politicians are strategic, Buhari would have been the last person they will ever think of supporting his reelection because once Buhari is reelected, and knowing he will never in his life seek their political support, Buhari’s assault on them will come like an earthquake.”
