31 Ex - Governor that with Face Fresh Corruption Charges ( See list)

Senate President Bukola Saraki, factional Chairman of
the Peoples Democratic Party, Ali Modu Sheriff; and
Senate Minority Leader, Gods will Akpabio, are among 31
former governors whose alleged corruption cases
investigated by the anti-graft agencies are likely to be
reopened soon.
The PUNCH had exclusively reported on Tuesday that
the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of
Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, had written to the
Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other
related offences Commission, directing the reopening of
the cases of the ex-governors.
It was learnt on Wednesday that the AGF had called for
the case files of the former state governors.
The PUNCH obtained the list of the former governors,
who were named in the AGF’s letter, on Wednesday.
The list contains the names of Saraki, a former Governor
of Kwara State; Akpabio (a former Governor of Akwa Ibom
State, and Sheriff (an ex-Governor of Borno State).
Other former governors include Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia);
Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Saminu Turaki (Jigawa);
Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Joshua Dariye (Plateau); Ahmed
Yerima (Zamfara); Gabriel Suswam (Benue); Martin Elechi
(Ebonyi); Danjuma Goje (Gombe) and Murtala Nyako
(Adamawa).
They also include Ikedi Ohakim (Imo); Obong Victor
Attah (Akwa Ibom); Achike Udenwa (Imo); Abdullahi
Adamu (Nasarawa); Gbenga Daniel (Ogun); Jolly Nyame
(Taraba); Boni Haruna (Adamawa); George Akume
(Benue); Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo); Attahiru Bafarawa
(Sokoto) and Adebayo Alao-Akala.
Others are Usman Dakingari (Kebbi); Adamu Mu’azu
(Bauchi); Peter Odili (Rivers), and Lucky Igbindedion
(Edo).
Part of the AGF’s letter to the ICPC, sighted by our
correspondent on Monday, indicated that the cases
against some of the former governors were investigated
some years ago but charges were never filed against
them.
The letter partly read, “It is clear that some of these
governors and other politically-exposed persons have
not been charged to court despite the fact that the ICPC
has concluded their investigations, concerning
allegations levelled against them, for one reason or the
other.
“It is the position of the present administration that all
ex-governors, who the ICPC had long concluded
investigations into the various allegations levelled
against them, should be immediately prosecuted.”
The letter also gave the Chairman of the ICPC a 14-day
ultimatum to “remit the duplicate case files concerning
the politically-exposed persons investigated by the ICPC
over the years” to the office of the AGF.
Our correspondent confirmed on Wednesday that the AGF
had sent a similar request to the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission with the same list of former
governors annexed to his letter.
The PUNCH had reported that some of the ex-governors,
according to one of the sources, include some, who had
been convicted for charges preferred against them by the
EFCC.
Some of them also had their cases terminated before full
blown trial could begin.
Others are currently undergoing trial on charges initiated
against them by the EFCC at either the various divisions
of the Federal High Court or the High Courts of their
home states.
There are about five of the former governors, who are
now said to be serving senators.
The affected personalities, it was learnt, served as
governors for either one or two terms between 1999 and
2015, and are from all the six geopolitical zones of the
country.
It was also confirmed that the majority of those on the
list belonged to the two dominant political parties, the
All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic
Party.
Another source also confirmed that a former Governor of
Delta State, James Ibori, who was convicted in the
United Kingdom for fraud-related charges and still
serving his prison terms, was on the list.
Apart from Ibori, two former governors from the South-
South, are said to be on the list.
Five of the former governors are from the South-East,
and three from the South-West.
The PUNCH was informed that the ex-governors, whose
cases would be reopened, included six from the North-
West; six from the North-East, and eight from the North-
Central.
The AGF letter defines high-profile cases as cases
“involving alleged misconduct amounting to economic
sabotage; involving complex financial transactions or
property movement; involving any of the suspects, who
is a politician, a public officer or judicial officer; and
where the subject matter involves government or
corruption of its official or involves the abuse of office.”
Such judiciary officers, it was learnt, would include
judges allegedly involved in economic sabotage,
including financial transactions.
The AGF’s letter to both the ICPC and EFCC indicated
that AGF’s request for the case files was in the exercise
of his powers vested in the AGF by Section 174(1) of the
Constitution as well as sections 105 (3) and 106 (a) of
the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Our correspondent’s findings showed on Wednesday that
ICPC and EFCC had yet to respond to the AGF’s request.