Senator May Be Prosecuted Over Power Deals
July 21, 2008
21 July 2008
Posted to the web 21 July 2008
Chuks Ohuegbe
There are strong indications that the embattled former Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke, may be prosecuted over his involvement in the $16 billion power sector scam.
LEADERSHIP investigations confirmed that the House of Representatives adhoc committee report that investigated the power sector, whose report would be laid on the table tomorrow, will among other recommendations call for Imoke’s prosecution.
Until last week, Imoke was the Governor of Cross River State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but the Court of Appeal, in its ruling, nullified his election and ordered for a rerun.
With the loss, the ex-governor lost the immunity, which Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution conferred on him.
Imoke, served as the Minister of Power during the second term of former President Olusegun Obasanjo Administration.
The Hon. Ndudi Elumelu-led adhoc committee report also indicted another one-time Minister of Power and serving governor of one of the South-western states.
Our checks revealed that the indicted governor would escape prosecution because of the immunity he presently enjoys.
As at last night, there were still pressures from interest groups to sway the House leadership to defer the laying of the adhoc committee report on the table.
The thinking is that if the report is not laid on the table, it would be difficult to debate or make public its contents.
LEADERSHIP also confirmed from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) last night that the the labour group plans to stage a peaceful demonstration tomorrow at the National Assembly, wherein they would impress it on the leadership of the House not to suppress the power sector adhoc committee report.
The labour planned protest is coming on the heels of pressure being mounted by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) that called for the prosecution of the former governor.
The CNPP had warned that agencies of government, especially the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should not schedule the Cross River governorship rerun election so quickly in a bid to shield Imoke from prosecution.