Ekiti Rerun Bribery Scandal: Nigeria Police ‘Arrest’ 31 INEC Officials

May 8th, 2009 | By admin | Category: Front Page Story

Nigeria's Tainted Electoral Umpire - INEC

Nigeria’s tainted electoral umpire (INEC), got another reeling blow to her struggling image when the Nigerian Police Force yesterday dug deeper into the bribery scandal that rocked the the last inglorious rerun governorship election in Ekiti State.

11 collation, and 20 presiding INEC officers on duty at Ido-Osi were ‘invited’ afresh by the police to give account of how they got monetarily induced by PDP Chieftain, one Hon. Olumide Yomi, to ‘change the electoral game’ in favour of Segun Oni in the controversial Ido Osi local government during the rerun.

In a move that some skeptics considered as ‘medicine after death’, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of INEC Police Unit, Mr. J.B Awelewa, following lead given by an aggrieved and short-changed INEC officer – Mr. John Onaji, who served as a presiding officer in Ido-Osi, who blew the lid off the can of worms.

INEC OfficialsOnaji wrote a petition to the police to expose the giver, conduit (one Mr. Okey Ndeche), and the takers of bribes when he was denied of his share of the ‘electoral booty’. The world knows now how inflated figures of 15,000 police-collated votes from Ido-Osi became the ‘game-changer’ that gave Mr. Segun Oni of Peoples Democratic Party a slim margin of some 4,000 votes that ushered him back as Governor of Ekiti State.

The accused officers name are listed below:

  1. Eze P.C.
  2. Okafor Jonathan,
  3. Aminu Adamu Bello,
  4. Okafor Chika,
  5. Ikpe E.C.P.
  6. A.A Kolo.P,
  7. Okafor U.N.P,
  8. V.A Aluko,
  9. Gregory.E. Ossaie,
  10. Ojedokun B.A.
  11. Nzewuile Lilian
  12. Ibrahim M.G.P,
  13. Nkechi Omerenma Nwagwu,
  14. Adegbenmiro A.I.P,
  15. Martina N. Atenga,
  16. Awofolu Hajara,
  17. Modey M. Umari,
  18. Abah S.A.P,
  19. Mrs. Ume Zude,
  20. Ajanji Isreal,
  21. Grace David,
  22. Salamatu Faruk Yahaya,
  23. Chukwuenye Nnena
  24. Abba Saced Bbeckuigadie,
  25. Inyang N.J,
  26. Adidu Esther,
  27. Isaac Ette,
  28. Odukpe Chukwudi,
  29. Chinyere C.U. Ekeanyanwu,
  30. Ajayi Lateef
  31. and Godwin P. Doghor.”

Onaji’s incriminating confession/petition to the police published in media last week reads:

“On the 4th of April, 2009, I was deployed to Ido-Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti State for the rerun governorship election. We arrived (at) Ekiti between the hours of 5 to (and) 5.30pm.

“At about 7 to 8:pm of the same day, one Hon. Olumide Yomi, arrived Federal Technical Science Secondary School where we were kept and addressed us.

“In the course of his address, having welcomed us, he said he had some kola- nuts for us; but that these kola nut had been deposited with Mr. Okey Ndeche of Operations Department, (INEC) for onward transmission to us. There and then, the staff chorused in disappointment.

“The Hon. was equally baffled by the reaction from the staff and he sought to know why. He was informed that Okey would not remit the money to them and if at all he would, it will not be complete.

“The Hon. however, assured the staff that he would get across to Mr. Okey that same night and get back to us the next day.

“He then dictated his telephone number to all of us present and told us to get across to him through the same line should Okey fail to keep to his promise of giving the money to us.

“On the election day, Saturday, 25/4/09 at about 6.15am, the man resurfaced; he assured us that he had spoken to Mr. Okey and that Okey gave him every assurance that the money would be given to us on return to Abuja.”

“I then went to Okey’s office and told him what the Hon. said and the feeling and reaction of staff over the issue. Before I could finish expressing myself, Mr. Okey flared up and said I was one of the people scandalising his name; that he was going to deal with me and make me an example to others.

“He then called the Deputy Commissioner of Police to send a police officer to arrest me. That was how the matter was taken to the police unit.

“After the statement by me, I was asked to give names of at least five people who were there when the Hon. came to address us.”

So far public reaction to the INEC bribery scandal has been that of mixed feelings, as many pundits believed it is an attempt by the discredited police under Sir Mike Okiro’s leadership to buy some credibility for its shameful role in the inglorious rerun in Ekiti by looking for sacrificial scape goats to bear its sins and be condemned.

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12 comments
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  1. LAWYER TEWO May 8th, 2009 8:39 pm :

    No matter what happened the life continue.I wish we remember that soonest everybody will die and give account of our life before my Lord.COOOOUUURRRTTTT……….HUNNNNNNNN

  2. Segun Odebunmi May 8th, 2009 10:38 pm :

    Why are we giving credence to this lame investigation? Nothing will come out of it. The Precedency, the INEC management and the Inspector General of Police are not clean as far as Ekiti Re-run is concerned. So why do we think anything good will come out of this? What happened to the politicians and thugs arrested? The have all been released. So these small eggs in the INEC will also get off the hook, or else, they will expose their superiors who got millions.

  3. Nnamdi Agha May 9th, 2009 5:48 am :

    Very well said Segun. I have nothing more to add other than that those who live by the sword shall one day die by the sword.

  4. biodun May 9th, 2009 2:54 pm :

    Home Letters Your Letters Between Segun Adeniyi & Dora Akunyili?
    Between Segun Adeniyi & Dora Akunyili?
    Friday, 08 May 2009 17:39 By Tunde Owoseni E-mail | Print | PDF
    Sir: Reading through Yusuph Olaniyonu’s article on the Ekiti debacle in today’s ThisDay Newspaper, I could not but agreem more with him that he got it right, once again! The article was succint and hit the bullseye.

    I thank God for giving our Nation people like him.

    However, the problem I have is: Is this not the same way we were celebrating Segun Adeniyi just a few years ago, as probably one of the most forthright journalists in Nigeria. Today, he lies from both sides of the mouth. To make matters worse, he completely lost it and probably lost every iota of respect he ever garnered when he recently attacked the NBA and its President (that body which has been consistently on the side of the masses in the last few years).

    What of Dora Akunyili? I would not know any Nigerian woman that was as respected as her, based on her gargantuan achievements at NAFDAC. Even Mrs. Okonjo Iweala, who is equally adored by most Nigerians, was not held in high esteem as Dora was.

    What has happened today? Prof Dora Akunyili has lies coming forth from every pore in her body. Go out there today and do a vox pop and it would suprise you how low Madam Akunyili has come. I hear people’s comments about her now and I feel very ashamed of her.

    Imagine her (Mrs Akunyili) a few days ago having the temerity to say “we thank God that the Ekiti REC has finally concluded her assignment based on her christian belief and conscience”.

    What conscience and who is fooling who? If that is the way consciences and christian faiths pan out, then it is safe to say Madam Dora has lost hers.

    My daughter loves watching Dora the Explorer cartoons so much and in recent times, each times she has watched it, I just cannot stop thinking of the evolution and descent of this woman from Dora the Great & Dora the Helper of the Oppressed to ‘Dora the Liar’!!!

    Yes, she has lies, deceit and complicity written over anytime she has had to address the press recently and I have kept wondering: What is it that turns otherwise responsible and sane people into beasts and vermins overnight once they get into government in Abuja? Are they injected with lethal doses of dog rabies or serpent slime? Or, is it the well-known criminality embedded in the PDP ideology?

    I wonder! I really wonder!!

    God help us.

  5. LAWYER TEWO May 9th, 2009 4:04 pm :

    Ekiti Election is a devine one, as with almighty God there is no justice in his Dictionary.If God gave the Government to Oni, that is justice and if he gave it to Fayemi that is another justice.He is the Kabiosi and whoever is not pleased should sue him and get Rotimi Williams to argue the case before his Lordship almighty God. And who is the Supreme Court Judge,…….ALMIGHTY GOD.Power belong to God and he gives it to whoever he wishes. so forget about all this election of a thing afterall who voted for River state Governor Rotimi Amechi.My Lord put him there via My Lords judgement at SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA.But we have to
    protest because we have been destined to make noise and we have to continue to make noise every day.Bye.

  6. Adeolu James May 9th, 2009 6:57 pm :

    what a shame. with these useless set of people in the INEC how would nigeria have a free and fair election? i pray God to help this country called Nigeria.

  7. edede, m.k May 9th, 2009 9:04 pm :

    Shame to PDP
    Shame to INEC
    Shame to INEC REC
    Greate people, Great nation, One love

  8. Sayo Ojo Gbemi May 10th, 2009 12:05 am :

    I knew immediately Segun Adeniyi was appointed as the President’s spokesman that he would turn a new colour like his colleagues who occupied similar positions in the past. . Some ‘fire brand” columnists had already had their white garments stained in pursuit of position rather than dignity and have lost their salt professionally. Some of them have vanished from the pages of our newspaper. You could see them now mixing and dining with people whom they condemned in the past. But their ends and of those whom they defended or now defending are well spelled out in Psalm 73. My country men and women, do not worry God is not sleeping!

    For Prof. Dora Akunyuli, a woman I so much respected and admired. They know that she was too much while heading NAFDAC. She thus has been given a position to cloud or even destroy her past noble internationally recognised achievements. I bet it if PDP and its cohorts will not finish her completely before she is dropped. Can her re-rebranding work in a state like Ekiti with all her devilish re-branding and deceitful statements? I PITY THIS WOMAN FOR GRADUALLY ALLOWING HER GOOD REPUTATION TO BE DESTROYED. Can members of her family and friends ask her to resign from this government before it is too late? A woman whom people like myself was praying to be elected as the first woman to be the President of Nigeria? She has indeed disappointed me. For God sake Prof. Dora Akinyuli needs immediate self re-branding!

    For those INEC officials who have been arrested by the police for receiving egunje, this to me is another comedy. What will be the outcome of this gra……gra…..gra…. gra….. Medicine after death? But the answer is blowing in the wind.

  9. Ayobami Ogunleye (Finland) May 11th, 2009 5:42 pm :

    Sayo Ojo Gbemi, you have spoken well. Never mind Dora, instead of her to learn from those that served under OBJ regime as Ministers and Head of strategic places. To mention few. IG Tafa Balogin, Nuhu Ribadu and others. We are they now? The so called rebrading programme is not clear to most Nigerians, it is PDP method of perfecting their new stragies which the party want to use during 2011 election.
    PDP has nothing to rebrand. The so called party did not have any good things in their stock to offer than to add to the country problem
    GOD WILL SAVE NIGERIA FROM THE SATANIC HAND OF PEOPLE DESTRUCTION PARTY. AMEN

  10. Olufemi Longe May 13th, 2009 9:41 am :

    You mean corrupt police arrested corrupt INEC official! What a paradox and that could only happen in nigeria

  11. LAWYER TEWO May 18th, 2009 7:31 am :

    Osun Defender you are the best friend of Gonernor Oyinlola Government ,even if you are been paid by this Government you can do more than this for his Government. I pray he should understatnd this that you Love this Government than many PDP card carrier members. As an Osun State indegene I will continue to be loyal to the government of the day and if government changed tomorrow I will be loyal again to the new Government. Am less concern about who is in Government since my file is on top of Oyinlola file before my God, so I need nothing from anybody except from Almighty God.Governor Oyinlola is also a poor man before God he is in dare need of God’s favour like every one of us. I wish people undersatand this and rest their case before CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE WORLD Baba Almighty ALLAH. ‘IYAAKA NA’ABUDU WA IYAAKA NASTA’INU-OH ALLAH YOU ARE THE ONE I subject to and whenever am in need [I wiil not go to any Government] but almighty God.May God guide and guard us.

  12. Anonymous August 8th, 2009 12:30 pm :

    No true Election in nigeria again,no governor can be like fayose again….no show for P D P I thank God for giving our Nation people like him. truely fayemi won the Election….in Ekiti state.EKITI AGBEWA OOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

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