vislabraye:

@Poster, are u saying Bakole is completely innocent ?

Are you scared?  Would you feel bad if you eventually found out that he is?  My answer is YES, I am certain he is completely innocent.  And if you have some patience, I would prove in my subsequent posts.

vislabraye:

Why did he try to flee ?

That is what EFCC told you through the media that they had intelligence reports to prove so.  However, how can they prove that?  Unless they caught him at an airport or border red-handed.  Possibilities include that they are lying or the reports are false if they ever existed. By the way, I know for a fact that he did not plan to flee. EFCC needed an excuse to arrest him on Sunday night and they believe they are not under compulsion to produce a security report.

The 16-point charge filed against Bankole:

COUNT 1

That you, Dimeji Bankole and others now at large on or about 28th of May, 2008, within the jurisdiction of Federal High Court, being Body of Principal officers of the House of Representatives responsible for the approval of contracts in the House of Representatives, with intent to defraud, did conspire amongst yourselves to inflate the cost of 400 units of 40-inch Samsung (LNS. 341) television sets by approving the purchase of the said item at the rate of N525,000.00 per unit, instead of the prevailing market price of N295,000.00 and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 58(4)(a) of the Public Procurement Act No. 14 of 2007 and punishable under Section 58(5) of the same Act.

COUNT 2 more or less modified COUNT 1 by altering did conspire amongst yourselves to inflate with did inflate

The remaining 14 counts are somewhat similar but refer to other goods.  However all charges claim to have committed an offence contrary to Section 58(4)(a), 58(4)(b), 58(4)(e) and punishable under Section 58(5) of the same Act.

For full reference to the charges, visit:https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-685301.0.html

--break--

Let's focus on the allegations current and previous:

1.  The 16-point charge filed in court against Dimeji Bankole
2.  The alleged N10bn loan fraud
3.  The alleged N2.4bn peugeot car purchase fraud
4.  The alleged N9bn budgetary allocation misappropriation fraud
5.  The alleged Rural Electrification (REA) project scam
6.  The alleged $1bn UBA slush/foreign account that belongs to Bankole

*.  Please inform me of any allegation I might have overlooked or never heard of.  Of course, I am almost certain that Keyamo and EFCC will come up with new ones in the next couple of days otherwise I would be gravely disappointed.  However in this case, I hope they'll be charges or suits and not media campaign of calumny as they are wont to do.

--break--

@all, I have a confession to make.  I have enough information to prove many things in Bankole's favour.  I apologise to anyone who thinks my initial post appears patronising.  Now, if I was paid by Bankole, I would be using the print media to launder his image with unfounded and false information the way EFCC and Keyamo have done till now.  Okay, some people will not like that.  So, because there is limited time and I may not be able to respond as fast as I want tomorrow because I'll be at work, I'll start providing the facts right away.

I will refer to numerous newspaper articles that are online, the constitution of Nigeria with particular reference to the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007, Fiscal Responsibility Act 2010, Procurement Act 2007, references to comments by Femi Falana, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN), Chief Robert Clarke (SAN), senior advocate, Mr. Emeka Ngige, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Bamidele Aturu.  Also, I will refer to events that have hitherto not been reported or have been underreported until now because of the sensitive nature because it concerns interactions between Dimeji Bankole, Farida Waziri, IG of Police, President Jonathan and others.

I will discuss based on confirmed facts and for firsthand facts that have never been published I will acknowledge.  I will also be bold enough to predict future events and do an if-then analysis of where this 'case' might lead to.

Without further ado, allow me to begin;

gaius juli:

The problem with this article starts from the begining, it was late yaradua that removed ribadu either before or during bankoles tenure as speaker so why the attempted hoodwinking?

I did not say Yar'adua didn't remove Ribadu. But everything in the original post is a fact. The sad part is that when people post unfair things about Bankole, you don't complain. But when there is an attempt to highlight the other side of the story, you react negatively.

Was Bankole championning anti-corruption? YES
Was Bankole arrested less than 24 hours before the election of the new speaker? YES
Is Bankole being charged for the N100bn loan as widely publicised to tarnish his image? NO
Is Bankole the procurement officer or accounting officer authorised by law to select bids or select prices of goods as stipulated in the Procurement Act? NO
Is EFCC being selective by not naming or charging the so called 'others at large' in the charges against him? YES

As Nigerian youth, we have continually yearned for better representation by our leadership and eradication of corruption by government officials.  Along with President Umaru Musa Yar'adua and Nuhu Ribadu under EFCC, Bankole championed this course for Nigeria.  Because of Bankole's anti-corruption war, he won many enemies who feared prosecution. 

Bankole set up the $16bn power probe, $35bn railway project probe, he exposed N15 trillion unremitted Government revenue since 1999, and an unprecedented N450bn unspent budgetary allocation in 2007.  Bankole proceeded in earnest in this anti-corruption campaign until President Yar'adua's demise.  Since then Bankole has been targeted by 'toes he stepped on' during his anti-corruption campaign by levelling numerous unfounded allegations against him.

And now, due to Bankole's refusal to endorse the PDP's candidate for Speaker of the House, he has been arrested and detained by EFCC headed by the corrupt Farida Waziri without proper investigation against him and efforts are now being made to convict him by all means necessary with the aid of the corrupt Festus Keyamo to give the impression that the current government is sincere about the anti-corruption war.  We need to ask the questions:

1.  Why is Bankole NOT being charged with the alleged N10bn loan scam if indeed there is a case against him?
2.  In the charges against Bankole, who are these 'others at large' that Keyamo has refused to name?

Young people of Nigeria, these[b] old breed politicians are targeting our young upcoming anti-corruption fighters to abort our collective future[/b] in its wake.  Now is the time to be on the side of history and realise the Mandela in Bankole.  Join the fight against this travesty of justice now!  Join the fight to free Bankole now!  Join the fight to save the future of the Nigerian youth.  NOW IS THE TIME!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oladimeji-Bankole/25367771897

As Nigerian youth, we have continually yearned for better representation by our leadership and eradication of corruption by government officials.  Along with President Umaru Musa Yar'adua and Nuhu Ribadu under EFCC, Bankole championed this course for Nigeria.  Because of Bankole's anti-corruption war, he won many enemies who feared prosecution. 

Bankole set up the $16bn power probe, $35bn railway project probe, he exposed N15 trillion unremitted Government revenue since 1999, and an unprecedented N450bn unspent budgetary allocation in 2007.  Bankole proceeded in earnest in this anti-corruption campaign until President Yar'adua's demise and Nuhu Ribadu's removal.  Since then Bankole has been targeted by 'toes he stepped on' during his anti-corruption campaign by levelling numerous unfounded allegations against him.

And now, due to Bankole's refusal to endorse the PDP's candidate for Speaker of the House, he has been arrested and detained by EFCC headed by the corrupt Farida Waziri without proper investigation against him and efforts are now being made to convict him by all means necessary with the aid of the corrupt Festus Keyamo to give the impression that the current government is sincere about the anti-corruption war.  We need to ask the questions:

1. Why is Bankole NOT being charged with the alleged N10bn loan scam if indeed there is a case against him?
2. In the charges against Bankole, who are these 'others at large' that Keyamo has refused to name?

Young people of Nigeria, these[b] old breed politicians are targeting our young upcoming anti-corruption fighters to abort our collective future[/b] in its wake.  Now is the time to be on the side of history and realise the Mandela in Bankole.  Join the fight against this travesty of justice now!  Join the fight to free Bankole now!  Join the fight to save the future of the Nigerian youth.  NOW IS THE TIME!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oladimeji-Bankole/25367771897

EFCC secretly interrogates Nafada, Akogun, Ndume and others in their bid to find Bankole guilty by all means necessary.

Why accuse him of N10 billion fraud before investigation was completed? 
Why single Bankole out for prosecution and make references to unnamed persons as 'others at large'?

EFCC has carefully hidden this information from the media as opposed to the sensationalisation they engaged in prior to Bankole's 'arrest'. It is now becoming clearer to Nigerians that since the ruling parting could not stop Bankole's ally Tambuwal from becoming Speaker, they now want to give the impression that they are truly sincere about this anti-corruption war.

It's only a matter of time.  Jonathan, Farida Waziri, Keyamo, Dino Melaye and their cohorts will be shown to be the true corrupt bunch that are using their platforms of hatred to witch-hunt young upcoming politicians perceived to be a threat to their corrupt existence.

johnie:

And Mr. Aminu Waziri-Tambuwal is contesting for the position of Speaker today?

And can somebody remind me which party Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila belongs to again. . .

All the Reps members benefited to the tune of N14m each per quarter including the Mulikat woman backed by Jonathan for the Speakership post. Bankole and his deputy did not get a kobo from the loan. Get your facts right. Afterall you are supposed to be fighting corruption and seeking justice.

nsiadi:

Pride, truly, goes b4 a fall. This bank ole, nay bank robber, tot he was god. If u recall hw he was dealing wt Dino u wl think he is cast in iron. Even though the humiliation may not last long I blv he deserves to be put away 4 sm time.

Many Questions 4 him:

(1) Is he authorized 2 jack up the allowance of the legislators?
(2) Do they really deserve what they were getting even b4 the caterpulting?
(3) Why did d EFCC hv 2 wait 4 so long b4 intervening?
(4) Are those lawmaking robbers not expected 2 cough out these stolen monies?
(5) Cant a mechanism be put in place 2 stop these swindles?
(6) Is it proper 2 exclude d press in any of their activities?
(7) How will recent revelations affect d new crop of leadership in the 7th house?

Please let the income, wages & fiscal commission let us know whats the correct salary of these legislators. The earlier the better

(1) Is he authorized 2 jack up the allowance of the legislators?
Answer: Bankole did not jerk up the allowances of the legislators.  When Bankole was away in Ibadan, the deputy speaker Nafada presided over a session where the allowances for 'all' House of Rep members was increased.  The N10b loan was used to pay for the increase.  Bankole and his deputy did not benefit from the increase or the loan.  Every other Rep member got an increase of N14m.  Including Dino Melaye, Mulikat Akande-Adeola not excluding Tambuwal the new Speaker.  By the way, the loan was covered in the 2011 budget that was signed into law by President Jonathan and has been paid back in full.

(2) Do they really deserve what they were getting even b4 the caterpulting?
Answer:Ask the law.  It is their legal salary long before they became legislators.  It is not a crime.  Do you know the salaries of other government officials from the President to the Minister to the Governor to every one. It's a general characteristic of Nigerian government.

(3) Why did d EFCC hv 2 wait 4 so long b4 intervening?
Answer:The EFCC went after Bankole on Sunday.  The election for the new Speaker was on Monday.  Jonathan and the PDP leadership want Mulikat from SouthWest as the Speaker against Tambuwal who is close to Bankole.  The EFCC's plan was to implicate Tambuwal in the N10b loan.  But everyone benefited from the loan including Jonathan's candidate, Mulikat.  However, Tambuwal sneaked into the National Assembly chamber Sunday night to evade EFCC's net.  Now EFCC has to give the impression that they are truly fighting corruption.

(4) Are those lawmaking robbers not expected 2 cough out these stolen monies?
Answer:The question is- was the increase in allowances legal?  Remember they are lawmakers.  They make the law.  In all democracies worldwide, lawmakers are known to make laws that favour them.  One of the demerits of democracy.  The followed due process in reviewing their allowances.  And the President signed the upward review into law as part of the 2011 budget.  Even they broke the law, the president also broke the law!

(5) Cant a mechanism be put in place 2 stop these swindles?
Answer:How is it a swindle if it has not been proven that they broke the law?

(6) Is it proper 2 exclude d press in any of their activities?
Answer:They did not exclude the press in any activities.  They are not under obligation to report all their legislative activities to the press.

(7) How will recent revelations affect d new crop of leadership in the 7th house?
Answer: EFCC and Jonathan have taken the wrong turn by witch-hunting Bankole and Tambuwal to impose a puppet as the Speaker.  The 7th House will do everything it can within to law to ensure that Justice is served in this Bankole case. 

What you owe Nigeria is to remember that every Nigerian including you is presumed innocent until proven guilty.  You have to be careful not to crucify a young upcoming politician because he backed a democratic process against the will of the current President.

This is what I have discovered about most of you posting messages here:
[list]
[li]You claim to be fighting corruption but you are proclaiming a man guilty before he's even charged to court.[/li]
[li]You call yourself youths but you persecute, insult and poke fun at a young upcoming politician for no reason.[/li]
[li]You have ruled out the possibility of Bankole being innocent.  Hence if he's found not guilty, you will still not be convinced.[/li]
[li]Bankole has been attacked from day 1 he became Speaker.  The started with the False 'He did not performance NYSC allegation'.  Who is afraid of Bankole?[/li]
[li]The 'business-as-usual' politicians will destroy any young new-thinking politicians they see to be intimidating.[/li]
[li]Most of you are under-aged, cannot analyse logically and cannot read read more than 1 paragraph of text at a time.[/li]
[li]My advice to you all.  Shun persecution, shun jungle justice. Seek the truth.  Fight for justice.  Only then can you fight corruption[/li]
[li]Have you sought the facts of the case against Bankole?  Have you sought an unbiased view of this case?[/li]
[li]Some of you are Christians.  Jesus Christ was persecuted without justice, remember?[/li]
[/list]

Okay.  I have to explain again.  Now class, listen attentively!

[list]
[li]Bankole agrees to follow EFCC to their HQ at 8pm on Sunday night[/li]
[li]Bankole explains that all members of the House of Reps benefitted from the N10b loan including Dino Melaye, Mulika Akande-Adeola and Tambuwal of course[/li]
[li]Only Bankole and his deputy did not benefit from the loan[/li]
[li]Due process was followed in the increase of allowances and collection of the loan[/li]
[li]It was never a personal loan for Bankole[/li]
[li]EFCC single out Tambuwal and lay ambush for Tambuwal at the National Assembly today.  He was their target all along[/li]
[li]Tambuwal is contesting the Speakership seat today against Mulikat Akande-Adeola, Jonathan's candidate[/li]
[li]Tambuwal wins with 252 to Mulikat's 90[/li]
[li]The N10b loan has been repaid in full[/li]
[li]Tambuwal is Bankole's right-hand man and now that he's Speaker, how is he going to take the victimisation meted to him and 'his Speaker'?[/li]
[li]Advice to you all - Let's fight corruption but not by victimising the few good men among us.  It could be you tomorrow![/li]
[li]Get your facts right, seek the truth and let justice be served[/li]
[li]There's time for jokes, there's time for insults and but once in a while, we the youth need to support one of us[/li]
[li]Do you know that Mandela was one regarded worldwide as an international terrorist?[/li]
[li]Don't be in a hurry, posterity shall wash Bankole's linen clean some day soon[/li]

[/list]

OAM4J:

And how do you come about this knowledge?

It's all over the news.  If only we the young people of this country will seek the facts before being fooled by the old generation politicians.  They are killing youth corpers.  Now they are witch-hunting young promising politicians!

See links below:

http://www.elombah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6868:why-bankole-was-arrested&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=67

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2011/june/05/national-05-06-2011-001.html

http://pmnewsnigeria.com/2011/06/04/speakership-tussle-takes-a-legal-turn/

Nigerian youth, will you sit down and let your young upcoming leaders be intimidated because they are going against godfatherism?  Bankole is one of the most honest public officers Nigeria has ever had.  Remove the veil they have put over your eyes!

[list]
[li]Bankole in EFCC Headquarters on Sunday[/li]
[li]New Speaker election on Monday[/li]
[li]PDP leadership want Mulikat or Muraina[/li]
[li]Bankole backs Tambuwal[/li]
[li]EFCC intends to arrest Tambuwal Monday before the election[/li]
[li]EFCC has no case against Bankole as he did not touch a dime of the N10 billion loan[/li]
[/list]

Fact No 3 - Tambuwal as EFCC target
However, a source close to the developments surrounding the issue told Sunday Vanguard that many more individuals would be invited for interrogation as the investigations continue.

One of them, it has been discovered, is Tambuwal, who was said to have impressed it on the leadership of the House that there was need for an upward review of the running costs for members, which eventually led to the institution of the 37-member committee which approved the new rates.

Meanwhile, the issue took a twist at the weekend as Tambuwal [/b]and  another returning lawmaker, [b]Emeka Ihedioha,  headed to a Federal High Court in Abuja, praying it  to protect them from being arrested by the EFCC.

The duo, through a fundamental human rights enforcement application they filed before the High Court, alleged subterranean moves by some persons to implicate them in the loan saga with a view to stopping them from vying for the position of  speaker and deputy speaker of the  in the incoming legislature.

They alleged that the pressure being mounted on  Bankole by the anti-graft agency, was owing to his refusal to implicate them in the alleged loan scam, adding that they had continued to receive[b] threats and intimidation[/b] owing to their resolve to go ahead and contest for the said positions.

Source:[url=http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/06/how-reps-shared-controversial-n10bn/?utm_source:feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+vanguardngr%2FdIeb+%28Vanguard+News+Feed%29]http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/06/how-reps-shared-controversial-n10bn/?utm_source:feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+vanguardngr%2FdIeb+%28Vanguard+News+Feed%29[/url]

Fact No 2 - Purchase of Television Sets
After investigating the allegations, the EFCC found that as required by law, “none of the contract documentations were forwarded to the due process office of the Bureau for Public Procurement for Certificates-of-No-Objection”. The commission also found out that[b] “there was no procurement and planning committee for the award of these contracts”[/b].

Though several items were purchased for members of the House “allegedly at inflated prices”, the EFCC chose to report its findings (which indicted the House leadership) on only two of them: the supply of “three unit Mercedes Benz (S-600 cars) awarded to Wadatau Global Company, and the “supply of 125 units 40-inches Samsung LCD television awarded to Messrs Chiwarna Nigeria Ltd.”

On the Mercedez Benz cars, which were purchased for over N52 million per unit, the commission found that “there was no advert in any national daily as selective tender was used in deciding whom to supply.”

For the purchase of the television sets (at a unit price of N525,000), the commission found that the prices were inflated, saying “the open market price is N295,000 (Two hundred and ninety five thousand naira) as provided by Samsung showroom.

Source:http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5709298-146/story.csp

Response: Procurement procedures are under the purview Clerk and Management of the National Assembly.  The EFCC should be interrogating the Clerk and Management of the National Assembly not Bankole.

Dis Guy:

Save us the agony, lay teh facts you know, we are not there

Let Bankole also lay the fact with the Authorities

@Dis Guy.  Ok sir, thanks for asking.  Find the facts below:

Fact No. 1 - Purchase of Peugeot Cars
The House of Representatives, in December 2007 at an executive session presided over by Mr Bankole, approved the purchase of 380 units of Peugeot 407 cars; five for each of the 76 committees of the house at a total cost of two billion, three hundred and fifty six million, four hundred and eighty six thousand, five hundred naira only (N2,356,486,500) After the House bought the cars from Peugeot Automobile Nigeria Limited (PAN), allegations arose that the deal did not follow due process.

The EFCC’s findings appear to have confirmed that suspicion. The commission declared in its report, “the initial payment of one billion, four hundred and twenty five million naira (N1,425,000,000) is in breach of Section 38 of the Public Procurement act, 2007 which regulates all procurements by the Nigerian government.

The section stipulates a mobilisation fee of no more than 15 percent for local suppliers and contractors and 10 percent for foreign suppliers.

Source:http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5709298-146/story.csp

Response: Procurement procedures are under the purview Clerk and Management of the National Assembly.  The EFCC should be interrogating the Clerk.  The Speaker has no business pricing cars from vendors 

Bankole - stepping on toes

I cannot say Bankole is perfect.  He probably could have done better.  But the very day he made the choice to be a politician, even if it was elsewhere in the world, he submitted himself to public scrutiny.

Bankole became Speaker 3 and half years ago against the wishes of the powers that be.  The previous Speaker Etteh was IMPEACHED!  The PDP leadership, Obasanjo in particular felt insulted.  Meanwhile, at home, in addition to Obasanjo, Gbenga Daniel the Governor felt threatened and launched media and impeachment campaigns against the young man.

When President Umaru Yar'adua became incapacitated, Bankole's loyalty was so strong that he was the last man standing to endorse Goodluck Jonathan to ascend the throne

Then some fellow legislators, Dino Melaye and co,  who were unable to loot as usual joined the ranks and became violent.  They were SUSPENDED!  UBA, the sole bank of the House of Reps refused to release House funds because they were owed some billions and the House leadership lost elections.  The House moved their account to First Bank!

Now as the Speaker leaves office, Obasanjo once again wants to impose Muraina on the House, Dame Patience Jonathan wants Mulikat while the House wants  Tambuwal.  The Speaker is believed to have support for Tambuwal and he backed the voting system that is widely believed to favour Tambuwal.

Meanwhile, the media has never been Bankole's friend because he does not fund corrupt journalism to launder his image like most politicians do.  So they jump at negative stories about him.  Also, Bankole's enemies are willing to outspend him in their media campaign.

All these because a young man who seemingly has no godfather has been able to break the jinx to become an emerging power in the new politics of Nigeria.  Bankole has been bold and refused to play politics as usual.  And he is being persecuted for that.

Bankole is not devoid of sin.  But let's lay all the facts right on the table without being overly biased.  At least he deserves that.  Bankole remains innocent until proven guilty.  Let's take a cue from the travails of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“The truth of the matter was that the executive session where the decision was taken to collapse all the money of the legislators was chaired by Nafada while Bankole was away in Ibadan.”

The source added that it was in the meeting that the lawmakers money was increased from N28 million to N42 million quarterly and when Bankole arrived and was informed he was not in support of it “because there was no fund to implement the decision.”

Consequently a 37- man committee with a member coming from each state and Abuja was set up and it was chaired by the Deputy Whip, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal.

It was the committee that recommended that the House leadership should go and borrow, according to our source.
Our source said further that all the money was paid directly into the account of all the legislators and “there are documents to back it up.”

Source:http://www.independentngonline.com/DailyIndependent/Article.aspx?id=34184

Bankole fights back…says EFCC’s invitation political

ABUJA – EMBATTLED Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Sabur Bankole, yesterday said the invitation sent to him by the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was politically motivated.

In a letter dated May 31, titled: Re: Investigation activities invitation letter: by Rt Hon Speaker Oladimeji Bankole and addressed to the Chairman of EFCC, Mrs Farida Waziri, stated that “prior to your letter under reference, no letter has ever been addressed to or received by the speaker from your office, even though a lot has been written concerning him on the pages of newspapers in connection with your office on the subject matter in recent times.

“That the speaker has never written any letter to your office, hence your reference to your undated letter in connection with the above subject matter is very strange and has no basis.”

It was further stated that “at no time did the speaker received any request for an interview from your office nor did he request any rescheduling of interview to the 31st May.

“That the speaker of the Federal Republic of Nigeria finds it very curious and unethical that your office preferred to engage in sensational prosecution and conviction on the pages of newspapers on an issue as grave as corruption without ever communicating to him.

“That if your office is desirous of having an interview with the speaker, you should kindly request for such, formally and provide information about any specific issues you are investigating to enable him prepare his response accordingly.

“This is very necessary in view of the fact that the subject matter of your letter does not disclose anything other than “investigation activities” which you would agree is not only vague but nebulous and you would no doubt appreciate the fundamental right of every citizen of Nigeria is guaranteed by the constitution, which you as the chairman of the EFCC must uphold.

“In that regard, all cards must be placed on the table to enable the speaker respond to any relevant issue which you might want to raise.”

Sources close to the speaker told Vanguard that outside the last letter dated May 27, the speaker’s office did not receive any other letter, adding that this really irked him when he read about his invitation on the pages of newspapers that he was invited for an interview.

The source said the whole crisis started when an old generation bank had her account removed from the House of Reps due to the shoddy manner the loan issue was handled,

He said the Senate operated three different accounts, while in the last 12 years, the Reps had only one bank which eventually allowed this matter to snowball into this larger than life shape because the account was moved.

“Un fortunately, this whole saga would have been properly resolved if the bank had not sat on the House money because the money released in this last quarter was seized by the bank.”

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/06/bankole-fights-back-says-efccs-invitation-political/

Bankole fights back…says EFCC’s invitation political

ABUJA – EMBATTLED Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Sabur Bankole, yesterday said the invitation sent to him by the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was politically motivated.

In a letter dated May 31, titled: Re: Investigation activities invitation letter: by Rt Hon Speaker Oladimeji Bankole and addressed to the Chairman of EFCC, Mrs Farida Waziri, stated that “prior to your letter under reference, no letter has ever been addressed to or received by the speaker from your office, even though a lot has been written concerning him on the pages of newspapers in connection with your office on the subject matter in recent times.

“That the speaker has never written any letter to your office, hence your reference to your undated letter in connection with the above subject matter is very strange and has no basis.”

It was further stated that “at no time did the speaker received any request for an interview from your office nor did he request any rescheduling of interview to the 31st May.

“That the speaker of the Federal Republic of Nigeria finds it very curious and unethical that your office preferred to engage in sensational prosecution and conviction on the pages of newspapers on an issue as grave as corruption without ever communicating to him.

“That if your office is desirous of having an interview with the speaker, you should kindly request for such, formally and provide information about any specific issues you are investigating to enable him prepare his response accordingly.

“This is very necessary in view of the fact that the subject matter of your letter does not disclose anything other than “investigation activities” which you would agree is not only vague but nebulous and you would no doubt appreciate the fundamental right of every citizen of Nigeria is guaranteed by the constitution, which you as the chairman of the EFCC must uphold.

“In that regard, all cards must be placed on the table to enable the speaker respond to any relevant issue which you might want to raise.”

Sources close to the speaker told Vanguard that outside the last letter dated May 27, the speaker’s office did not receive any other letter, adding that this really irked him when he read about his invitation on the pages of newspapers that he was invited for an interview.

The source said the whole crisis started when an old generation bank had her account removed from the House of Reps due to the shoddy manner the loan issue was handled,

He said the Senate operated three different accounts, while in the last 12 years, the Reps had only one bank which eventually allowed this matter to snowball into this larger than life shape because the account was moved.

“Un fortunately, this whole saga would have been properly resolved if the bank had not sat on the House money because the money released in this last quarter was seized by the bank.”

Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/06/bankole-fights-back-says-efccs-invitation-political/

moty4all:

You guyz are missing the point a thief remains a thief, He should be sent to jail whether he steals 1M Naira or whatever and should have no reason being in politics anymore.

Not really. You are the one missing the point. The news behind this thread has been shown to be false. If some Nigerian news media can go as far as publishing false reports about a person, then one should start asking what their motive actually is, and how many of these similar publications are indeed true.

Anyways, I guess you are one of those Nigerians that equate allegations to guilt. Bankole is yet to be found guilty of all accusations ever levelled against him. For every version of these reports sponsored by his enemies, there is the true version of that story which people like you conveniently look away from. After all, bad news sell. Who reads good news?

However, I guess you are the very set of people these filth peddlers called Nigerian news media target when they concoct these 'sensational' reports. Don't worry. It's only a matter of time.

The United Bank of Africa (UBA) Nigeria has discounted as false, claims that the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole owns a $1billion slush account in UBA, describing media reports to the contrary as “baseless, sensational fabrications and yellow journalism at its worst”.

“No government official in Nigeria has such an amount domiciled with UBA bank,” a UBA official confided to Huhuonline.com, adding: the “alleged proxy of Dimeji Bankole, Maurice Ekpeyong, does not have an account with UBA, hence, it beats the imagination why a news medium, which is now being quoted by other media outlets, will run with such a story without any verification…all the reports in the media are just baseless, sensational fabrications and yellow journalism at its worst.”

Source:
Bankole $1bn Domiciliary Account with UBA: A Sahara Reporters Goof! - Huhuonline.com

All my phone's networks have been restored since last night. So I guess if you are still having network issues, it's for another reason.

luluosas:

Sometimes, I wonder if some people reasoning with their head or ANUS.

You got that right. Infact, you have just proven to be one of them!

Now, your post makes no reference to the $1 billion allegation so where is your reasoning?

Also, if the newspaper article you refer to is indeed true, it has just made it clear that the PDP leadership is desperate to have their way by imposing the next Speaker on the House hence they are using every tool in their arsenal to intimidate Bankole, the current Speaker and Tambuwal, the likely beneficiary of the position if the House acts against the wishes of the PDP leadership.

Come on, @luluosas, I'm still confident you possess a BRAIN. Using it should not be such a PAIN in your ANUS.

What will you all do when you find out that this publication is false?

Everyday I see news media like Sahara Reporters, PM News, even Punch, Sun, Tribune etc publish scathing allegations against Bankole. However, until I see the news in Guardian and ThisDay, I don't bat an eyelid. Remember that Bankole has been ACCUSED of many crimes but he has neither been charged to court nor indicted nor found guilty.

$1 billion dollars in a single UBA domicilliary account!? Come on! Use your brains! At least you all went to school.

Obviously, Bankole has enough haters to warrant all these negative media onslaught. Infact, I can see that some of the rats behind these stories are contributors to this thread. Well, enjoy it while it lasts. It's only a matter of time!

Same with mi. My 2 mtn, glo, and airtel sims don't work too. But I can browse right now with my VisaPhone. I'm in Abj too. Does it have anything to do with this May 29 thing in abj or SIM registration? I'm curious. Infact, that's why I came to Nairaland to see if it's only mi. EFAB Estate and Maitama. Sh_it! I need to speak to my gf!

1. The possible ministerial appointment is an unconfirmed rumour from an unreliable source.
2. Bankole will not accept a ministerial position. Rather he would nominate someone for that.
3. Bankole has NEVER been convicted of any crime so please let's be civilised about how we persecute him.
4. Bankole has many enemies. He was NOT ordained by PDP who were mad that their Etteh was disgraced out of office. His state governor Daniel fought him tooth and nail. Obasanjo rejected him.
5. The media were mad that Bankole refused to pay them for image laundering and kept going for his jugular.
6. You will read sensational news about Bankole from Punch, Nation, Tribute, NEXT, Compass but not from Guardian or ThisDay because the former newspapers have no principles. They want to sell at all cost because Bankole sells.
7. With Bankole as Speaker, it was business unusual as most of the regular House of Reps thieves could not steal as they wanted which made them enemies of Bankole.
8. There is no way Bankole would steal money alone without the connivance of majority of the House.
9. So who is the Saint here? Dino Melaye? Please! The guy lacks basic courtesy and has a rather unsavoury history.
10. It's a matter of time. Providence will wash Bankole's linen clean. Remember a man called Jesus?

NYSC should not be scrapped. I'll have to go with kobojunkie and texazpete on this.

Government should keep posting corp members to the North.

If such members do not feel comfortable about their safety, they do not have to go to the North.

Truth is: not only corp members died. Sadly, many other Nigerians died and they deserve equal attention. Nobody should be killed. Why is it that it's only corpers that are getting all the attention?

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Dead Serious News is a satirical website that is updated on an irregular basis. With the exception of the names of public figures, all names are fictional.