I"ve no regret for following Saraki"s wife to EFCC - Dino Melaye

ABUJA – SENATOR Dino Melaye,Friday, explained that he followed Toyin, wife of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, last Tuesday because he wanted to know the level of culpability in the allegation against her by her petitioners.

Dino Melaye

Melaye, who is the Chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Media and Publicity, said he only went to the anti-graft office in his capacity as an independent investigator.

The lawmaker, who represents Kogi West Senatorial zone in the Senate, said in a press statement, in Abuja, that his explanation became necessary, following the barrage of attacks and criticisms he had so far received from his “brothers, sisters and fellow citizens” since Tuesday, when he was sighted accompanying Mrs Saraki to the headquarters of the commission in Abuja.

Melaye, who said he had no regrets nor apology to anyone for his action, debunked insinuations in some quarters that he may have been one of the beneficiaries of the contracts in which the former Kwara State First Lady was being accused of.

He said he had never executed any government’s contract, either at the local, state or federal government level in his life, and challenged anybody with evidence to the contrary to provide it.

Melaye, in the statement entitled: “Stand up for what you believe in regardless of the popularity or acceptance of your belief”, also revealed that his visit to the commission’s office along with the Senate President’s wife was a personal sacrifice aimed at preventing the commission from being compromised through influence by desperate politicians.

He said: “The invitation of Mrs. Toyin Saraki by the EFCC, however, is not a criminal indictment. I will not abandon my friend because of mere EFCC invitation. I also went there as a private investigator and an anti-corruption crusader to find out the extent of culpability of my sister and friend since she was not told the content of the petition against her before her appearance before the EFCC.

“My definition for friendship is he or she who walks in when others are walking out. If my father is invited by the EFCC, I will go there; if a prima face case is established against him, I will shout for his prosecution. So my great people, I have no regrets following my friend and sister to the EFCC. If you are my friend, you are my friend. I cannot control what my friends will do, but they remain my friends. I am not fighting corruption out of passion only, but because it is the Godly thing to do.”

“I chose to react to the attacks I have received from my brothers, sisters and fellow citizens because I was seen in the Headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, with my sister, Mrs. Toyin Saraki.

 

I"ve no regret for following Saraki"s wife to EFCC - Dino Melaye

EFCC questioned Saraki"s wife for six hours

WIFE of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, visited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s office in Abuja on Tuesday with a plethora of supporters who are lawmakers.

Toyin Saraki
credit: youtube.com

Mrs. Saraki was invited alongside Zainab Dankingari, the wife of a former governor of Kebbi State and daughter of the late president, Umaru Yar’Adua.

Mrs. Saraki arrived at the EFCC office by 12:36 pm and was taken into the Economic Governance Unit of the commission for interrogation and left the commission’s Idiagbon House headquarters, at Wuse 2, Abuja by 6.15pm.

Mrs. Saraki was accompanied to the EFCC headquarters by some senators, over 20 members of the House of Representatives and members of the Kwara State House of Assembly led by the Speaker, Dr. Ali Ahmad.

Some of the senators who visited the EFCC headquarters in solidarity with her are Senators Isah Sani, Dino Melaye, Abdul Abubakar, Binta Goje, Abdulahi Sabi, and Peter Nwaoboshi.

But some of the members of the National Assembly left after waiting for two hours, while others were at the commission until her release by 6:15pm.

She is expected to be at the commission to respond to questions for the second day on Wednesday.

However, the commission could not carry out the planned interrogation of Mrs. Zainab Dakingari.

Although she honoured the commission’s invitation, the operatives had to postpone her interrogation to Wednesday on health grounds.

She arrived at the commission by 3pm and was allowed to go before 4pm.

The commission had invited both women to appear before it on July 22, 2015.

It was stated that while Saraki was invited to respond to questions about contracts executed in Kwara State when her husband, Senator Bukola Saraki, was Governor from 2003 to 2011, Dakingari was needed in relation to how N2bn belonging to Kebbi State was spent.

Meanwhile, Mrs Saraki, has said that she would cooperate with any lawful inquiry in consonance with the ethos of democratic governance and expected the EFCC to carry out its responsibility with observance to the global practices of fairness, impartiality and transparency.

She said that she had ensured adherence to the stipulations of the law and observed international best standards in all her operations.

“As a citizen with the utmost respect for highest standards of transparency and democratic accountability, Her Excellency Mrs Toyin Saraki visited the EFCC today as per their invitation. Mrs Saraki made herself available to assist the commission wholeheartedly with any lawful enquiry they may have. Following today’s visit, Mrs. Saraki will continue to cooperate fully with the EFCC, and hopes for a prompt and positive resolution in satisfaction of this enquiry.

“Having placed an emphasis on the importance of accountability, transparency and diligent reporting, Mrs. Saraki maintains that she has always operated within the law and to the highest standards of global compliance in all of her activities,” she said.

EFCC questioned Saraki"s wife for six hours

We did not petition Saraki"s wife; our signature was forged - PDP

THE authorship of the petition against the wife of the Senate President, Toyin Saraki, is now mired in fresh allegation of forgery.

Toyin Saraki
credit: youtube.com

The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Olawoye, whose imprints the controversial petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) bore as the authors, on Monday, dissociated themselves from it.

In an interview, Olawoye said neither him nor PDP had anything to do with the petition accusing Toyin of money laundering as the first lady of Kwara State.

He added that his signature on the petition was forged, while the authorship credited to PDP, was pure impersonation.

Olawoye disclosed that PDP in the state called an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss the forgery and fashion a way out, on how to redress the situation.

The party spokesperson stated that it was high time the party tamed the monster of forgery and impersonation that certain people are always dragging it into in the politics of the state, adding that the current situation was the second time such would happen.

Senator Joseph Waku had accused former Lagos State governor, Senator Bola Tinubu, of being behind the petition, an allegation Tinubu denied.

In his words Olawoye said, “I have nothing to do with the petition. You know over the time, I have built myself certain level of reputation because I am almost 30 years in the business of politicking. They just wanted to use a credible name, that is the truth and nothing but the truth. What happened is that there are some people in the corner of their room who wrote the petition and put my name on it and the media bought it.

There was never any time as the publicity secretary of the party that I endorsed or authorised that any petition should be sent to the EFCC. That was not the first time they would write. There was a time they wrote that our party and particularly me as the spokesperson, wrote that the governor of Kwara State used only N1.5 billion of the package from the Federal Government for salaries and carted away about N2 billion.

“Then I decided to allow sleeping dog lie but now that they are doing it again, it is time for me to react. Media managers should try to authenticate sources of information and clear with such sources before using such information. When names are mentioned, media houses should verify with such persons to get to the heart of the matter truthfully.”

We did not petition Saraki"s wife; our signature was forged - PDP

“Broke” Senator Waku hired to smear him - Tinubu

• Denies hounding Saraki’s wife with EFCC

A national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has denied accusations by a party member that he was using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to hound Toyin Saraki, wife of the Senate president, Bukola Saraki.

Bola Tinubu arriving yesterday

In a statement by his media office Saturday, Mr. Tinubu said he is too busy working to get the APC back on track, not delving into EFCC matters.

“Tinubu does not‎ run or dictate to the EFCC,” said the statement signed by Sunday Dare, Mr. Tinubu’s aide.

“And like countless others, Tinubu has also (been) investigated by the EFCC severely in the past. Tinubu has no hand in the travails of anyone because he is right now very busy working with others of like mind on how the APC political agenda can set sail as quickly as possible.

“That is the urgency of now and not the tantrums of the likes of Waku.”

Joseph Waku, a chieftain of the APC, had stated that Mr. Tinubu masterminded a “baseless petition” that led to the invitation of Toyin Saraki by the EFCC.

‎According to Mr. Waku, the former Lagos State governor is exploiting his personal relationship with Ibrahim Lamorde, the EFCC chairman, to go after perceived opponents.

“After days of painstaking enquiries‎, I discovered that both Tinubu and Lamorde maintain a mutually beneficial relationship since the days of Lamorde as the EFCC Director of Operations and based in Lagos between 2003 and 2007 when Tinubu was equally the governor of Lagos,” Mr. Waku, who served as senator between 1999 and 2003, said in a statement issued in Abuja.

“I also discovered from my findings in EFCC that the so-called petition against Mrs. Saraki was personally given to Lamorde by Tinubu under the guise that he was submitting the petition on behalf of the APC leadership to punish Saraki for working against the party’s leadership on the choice of National Assembly leaders.

“This was followed by a promise to help secure a second term for Lamorde as EFCC chairman.”

In the tersely worded response to Mr. Waku’s comments, Mr. Tinubu described the former Senator as “an individual with no shred of reputation and a political pariah in his home state”.

“No one should pay former Senator Waku any attention‎. We know when he is broke and needs a quick fix,” Mr. Tinubu said.

“What he has said is fit for the trash. Waku is Godwin Daboh resurrected. No one should dignify Waku’s tales by moonlight with any attention or ever take him serious. For any serious individual with a reputation to protect, Waku is a very poor hire.”

“Broke” Senator Waku hired to smear him - Tinubu

Invitation to Saraki’s wife curious, say senators

Senators belonging to the “Like Minds” group yesterday said they found the decision by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to invite the Senate President’s wife, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, in connection with an unknown investigation curious.

In a statement on their behalf, Senator Dino Melaye said they hoped that the invitation was not politically-motivated or linked with the leadership tussle in the Senate.

They added that the decision of the EFCC to invite Mrs. Saraki created a lot of coincidences, which any discerning mind would not want to ignore.

“Though, we do not want to make any hasty conclusion, we are surprised that about five years after the Sarakis left Government House, Ilorin, the EFCC suddenly realised the need to invite the wife. We hope this is not part of the plot we have heard about aimed at wrestling the Senate president down with different tactics.”

He added that members of the group would continue to watch developments around the invitation and would later make its position known to the public.

Invitation to Saraki’s wife curious, say senators

EFCC invites Saraki"s wife, Yar"Adua"s daughter over alleged financial fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has invited Toyin Saraki, the wife of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, for questioning over alleged shady contracts during her husband’s tenure as the governor of Kwara State.

Toyin Saraki
credit: youtube.com

Also, the daughter of the late former President Umaru Yar’Adua, who is also the wife of an ex-Governor of Kebbi State, Mrs. Zaina Dakingari, was said to have been invited by the anti-graft agency.

Saraki’s wife is billed to appear before EFCC interrogators on July 28, a day after Yar’Adua’s daughter would have been questioned.

Mrs Dakingari, The PUNCH learnt on Wednesday, would answer questions on the alleged misappropriation of N2bn state funds.

Toyin Saraki was said to be under probe in relation to several contracts executed by companies said to be linked to her while her husband held sway as the Kwara governor.

A source at the EFCC, who confided in our correspondent in Abuja, said, “The commission has invited the wives of two former state governors, Mrs. Toyin Saraki and Mrs. Zaiba Dakingari.

“Mrs. Dakingari was supposed to have appeared before the commission on Wednesday (yesterday) but she sent a message that she was outside the country and would honour the invitation on July 27, 2015.

“She is to provide an explanation in relation to N2bn state funds.

“The commission is expecting Saraki on July 28, 2015. The exact amount of money involved in her matter is not stated for now but she is to be quizzed in relation to various contracts executed in Kwara State when her husband was governor of the state.”

The EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed to our correspondent that the commission had sent out invitations to some wives of former governors though he said he did not know their identities.

Meanwhile, the EFCC operators on Wednesday grilled ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s Senior Special Assistant on Schools and Agricultural Programmes, Baraka Sani.

Sani was reportedly interrogated by operatives of the commission at its headquarters for eight hours before she was allowed to go.

The former President’s aide, The PUNCH learnt, was said to have been directed to report again at the commission in the early hours of Thursday (today) to answer further questions from her interrogators.

The PUNCH had reported exclusively on Tuesday that the EFCC had concluded plans to embark on a probe of officials of the Jonathan administration.

The former public officers said to be the target of the EFCC are former ministers, special advisers, senior special assistants, heads of parastatals and agencies in the previous administration.

Sani was the first aide of the former President to be quizzed by the EFCC.

It was gathered that the EFCC grilled her in relation to funds voted for schools agricultural programmes.

The commission is said to be working on the allegation that funds voted for schools agricultural programmes were diverted.

A source at the EFCC said, “Operatives of the commission today interrogated the Senior Special Assistant to the former President on Schools and Agricultural Programmes in relation to funds voted for the programmes.

“She is being quizzed for diversion of funds meant for the schools’ agricultural programmes.

“She came in the morning and spent eight hours before she was allowed to go. The interrogation has not ended because those in charge of the investigation asked her to return tomorrow (Thursday). So we are still expecting her.

Uwujaren confirmed to our correspondent on the telephone that Sani was at the commission’s headquarters on Wednesday.

“I can confirm that she was at the commission’s headquarters to answer questions for alleged financial impropriety,” the EFCC spokesman said.

EFCC invites Saraki"s wife, Yar"Adua"s daughter over alleged financial fraud