Group Asks Plateau Speaker Abok To Step Down Over Alleged Financial Scandal, Demands EFCC Investigation On Him

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A group under the aegis of Youths Rights Against Corruption (YRAC) has submitted a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Nuhu Abok Ayuba, Daily Trust is reporting.

 

The group accused the Speaker of several allegations including abuse of office and financial misappropriation.

 

The group also demanded that the Speaker immediately steps down from his position pending the completion of investigation.

 

Executive Director, Youths Rights Against Corruption (YRAC), Comrade Abednego Musa, signed the petition titled “Petition Against Plateau State House of Assembly Speaker, Nuhu Abok Ayuba, On Gross Financial Misconduct, Criminal Breach Of Public Trust And Abuse Of Office”.

 

In the petition addressed to the Chairman of the anti-graft commission, the group said it was necessitated by popular demand and to avert continuous bleeding of public treasury.

 

“Further to a popular demand by some members of the public to our office, this petition is written to acquaint your agency with the gross financial misconduct and the abuse of office being perpetrated by the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Nuhu Abok Ayuba, for a thorough investigation so as to avert a further bleeding of the public treasury under his care and restore sanity in the functioning of the state’s legislative establishment.

 

“The Speaker’s desecration of his office for which a probe of his activities becomes necessary is in twofold: one, his financial recklessness and cornering of public funds through illegitimate means; and two, the corruption and compromise of laid down procedures and rules deliberately foisted on the workforce of the Assembly”.

 

The Rights group further stated that the Speaker is perfecting his schemes by abusing the autonomy granted the House of Assembly.

 

According to the group, some of the cases for which it is seeking the enquiry of the anti-graft commission includes:

 

“Use of fictitious companies as fronts for cornering supply of 50 trucks of Fertilizer contracts and fleecing of N375m (Three Hundred and seventy Five Million naira) public funds . A probe of the businesses of the House since his leadership should reveal how notoriously Abok has been breaching public trust by diverting contracts and projects into companies of his interest with the active connivance of the clerk of the House.

 

“Purchase of a bulletproof car at a market value of less than N100 Million (One Hundred Million Naira), and the inflation of its price to N300m.

 

 

“Apart from being inflated by a whopping 200%, the purchase of the vehicle was done in a questionable manner contrary to procurement acts. This constitutes a flagrant abuse of office and the exercise of privilege with impunity in a country where majority of the citizens live on less than a dollar a day.

 

“Payment of humongous allowances of N150m as Basic Travelling Allowances (BTA) for members of the Assembly with neither prior discussion with members nor official approval by the House. We have it on good authority that the members did not undertake such trips, which had no destination.

 

“Compromise of operational procedures, creation of an extra-legal hierarchy and privileging cronies at the expense of the system. This is by far the greatest calamity to befall the Lagos House of Assembly to Plateau State House of Assembly under Abok’s watch. Regulatory procedures have been in most cases set aside with the connivance of the Clerk of the House with the ill-intent of carrying out governmental business for private gains and as a private concern.”

 

The Speaker was also accused of collecting N500m laundered funds through a suspended Chairman of APC to recruit innocent House members to destabilise the State and make the state ungovernable through induced crisis. This explains why he is always rushing to the media to discredit the efforts of the State government in restoring peace for selfish gains. Little wonder he disappears when National leadership of CAN, JNI and the SGF including security chiefs visited the state.”

 

The Group said it would amount to breach of public trust if the allegations against the Plateau Speaker, is not investigated, adding that “such a man of questionable character cannot continue to act as Speaker to the Plateau State House of Assembly.”

 

However the Speaker described the allegations as false, describing it as the handiwork of mischief makers.

 

Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Bulus Atang, the Speaker said he would respond at the appropriate time to the allegations contained in the petition.

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