Bukola Saraki in a secret meeting with IBB …Posters flood Abuja …As YCE raises allegation of fraud, embezzlement

Source: pointblanknews.com



Governor Bukola Saraki
Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara State spent over two hours on Sunday strategizing with former dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida at the Minna Hilltop home of the retired General on how the north will clinch the presidency ahead of the 2011 Presidential election.

General Babangida is eyeing another shot at the Presidency after spending eight years as a Military dictator while Mr. Saraki, a two time Governor of Kwara State, has made up his mind to contest the Presidential election.

Both men and Atiku Abubakar are top on the list of Northern leaders who are insisting that the North must produce the next president in line with the peoples' Democratic party, PDP zoning agreement.

Also being considered by the norther leaders are, Sule Lamido of Jigawa, Danjuma Goje of Gombe and Muazu Aliyu of Niger, apart from former boss of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu.

Saraki's chances are, however, been blighted by the thinking by some of his colleagues that he is using his position as the chairman of the Governors' Forum to feather his nest politically.

However, sources told pointblanknews.com that the meeting between IBB and Saraki centered on how to checkmate and destabilize the political machineries of President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the 2011 President Election.

Saraki, sources hinted has been secretly working against the emergence of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as Nigeria's President in 2011.

But those against Saraki whose posters have taken over every available space in Abuja, claim the Kwara Governor is a fraud.

The Yoruba Council of Elders, Kwara Branch alleged that the Governor has mismanaged about N65 billion which accrued to the state from the federation account between April 2003 and June 2008. The petition written to the EFCC in 2008 reads in part “the total money from Federation Account meant for the 16 Kwara local governments between April 2003 to June 2005 is about N65 billion.

YCE argued that “while Baruten, Ilorin West, Offa and Oyun were supposed to be given (out of it) a sum of not less than N5 billion, N5.7 billion, N3.4 billion and N3.1 billion respectfully. But after our own survey by teams of expert builders, economists, engineers and others, that covered the entire 16 local government council areas, it was been discovered that in each of these local governments, no serious project worth an amount of N1.5 billion took place between this period.”

“This shows that about N40 billion meant for local governments is elsewhere and for the four local governments mentioned above, there are no traces of development that could match up to the colossal amount of the local government revenue,"

The Yoruba group also allged that while serving as a Director in Societe Generale, the Governor's father, Chief Olusola Saraki influenced the granting of unsecured loans to the tune of N 250 million to the PDP.

YCE further stated that "Dr. Olusola Saraki, the father of the Kwara State governor, and other directors of the crippled bank had been investigated and were due to be arraigned on a 30-count charge before high powered politics swept away former EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu and his team."

Curiosly, within the same period they allegedly embezzled Societe Generale Bank, between the years 1999-2003, Bukola Saraki acquired 15 luxurious cars, which included a Ferrari. He and his wife, Toyin, also purchased houses in London worth 10 million pounds On 29 November 2001, Bukola Saraki bought a mansion in London for four million, two hundred and fifty thousand pounds (£4,250,000.00). The house with title number, NGL805616, is located on 70 Bourne Street, London SW1W 8JW. The lease hold on the property was registered on 9 January 2002 with the land registry, Harrow Office.

The y claimed that all the purchases including the houses and fleets of exotic cars were loans from Fortis Bank, SA-NV but investigators insisted that collateral for the four million, two hundred and fifty thousand pound (£4,250,000.00) loan could not be traced or explained.