Youth group petitions EFCC over Plateau Speaker’s alledged misappropriation of N1.425 billion

Plateau based Youth group, Youths Rights Against Corruption (YRAC), has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accusing the State House of Assembly Speaker, Hon. Nuhu Abok Ayuba, of misappropriation of the sum of N1.425 billion.

The Speaker was accused of abuse of Office, misappropriation of fund belonging to the State and he was asked to excuse himself from the seat for investigation.

In the petition which was signed by the group’s Executive Director, Comrade Abednego Musa and which was made available to journalists in Jos, they wants the anti-graft agency to intervene, stating that the investigation and arraignment of the Speaker is the people’s popular demand.

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’, saying that investigation of the Speaker would halt further bleeding of the State resources given that the present dispensation was still two years ahead for it to expire.

The group in the petition accused the speaker of the use of fictitious companies as fronts for cornering supply of 50 trucks of Fertiliser contracts and fleecing of N375 million public funds.

They alledged Speaker’s diversion of contracts, breach of trust which was made possible in connivance with the Clerk to the Plateau State House of Assembly, insisting that a probe by the EFCC would reveal further dirty dealings in the Assembly.

The Speaker was accused of inflating the price of bullet proof car which was N100 million at the time of purchase to N300 million, an inflation of over N200 million, which they added that the purchase of the vehicle was done in questionable manner against the Public Procurement Act.

The group further accused the Speaker of alleged payment of humongous allowances of N150 million as Basic Travelling Allowances (BTA) for members of the Assembly with neither prior discussion with members nor official approval by the House.

The petition showed that the Speaker was said to have collected the sum of N
N500 million laundered funds through a suspended Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) to lobby innocent House members to destabilise the State and make it ungovernable through the induced crisis.

Part of the petition read: “Further to popular demand by some members of the public to our office, this petition is written to acquaint your agency EFCC, with the gross financial misconduct and the abuse of office being perpetrated by the Speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Honorable Nuhu Abok Ayuba, for a thorough investigation so as to avert 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 petitioners argued that, the alledged misappropriation of the humongous fund was made possible by the autonomy of the legislative arm.

The petitioners insisted on the probe of Mr Speaker, to avoid being a breach of public trust, stating that the probe would reveal reasons he cannot continue as Speaker of Plateau State House of Assembly.

“Actions and conducts of the Plateau Speaker is detrimental to his constituents and against the general interest of Plateau citizens”, the petition declared.

“It is also a breach of public trust and a dent on the anti-corruption drive of the party and the government to which he belongs, hence the need to have him investigated and put him under public scrutiny and account before further damage is done to the collective patrimony of the people of Plateau State