PDP Caucus Accuses Tinubu, EFCC Of Conspiracy To Destroy Senate

The Senate caucus of the Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) has accused one of the national
leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, of working in
cahoots with the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) to destroy the senate by
impugning the integrity of members of the upper
chamber of the National Assembly.
The PDP Senate caucus, which has indicated its
readiness for a showdown with Tinubu, also
alleged that the former governor of Lagos State
was behind the series of media attacks against
members of the caucus.
This was part of the outcome of their meeting in
Abuja, convened by the leadership of the PDP
caucus last weekend to review what they
regarded as “onslaught” by the EFCC against
members of the group.
At the meeting, members of the caucus were said
to have come to a conclusion that the anti-
corruption agency was acting in concert with
Tinubu, who they alleged was bent on destroying
some key elements in the National Assembly in
order to clear the way for his 2019 ambition.
The former governor had recently said he would
not rule out his presidential bid should President
Muhammadu Buhari decide not to run.
A source at the caucus meeting said the senators
noted the “constant bashing and campaign of
calumny” launched against the Senate by a
prominent national daily and a frontline
television station, believed to be owned by the
former governor, as an example of the on-going
underground war being waged against the Senate
as an institution.
The senators at the meeting were also said to
have cited the attack on the Senate leadership
and other members in recent time by the same
media outfits as examples of how, “it is obvious
that Tinubu just wanted to destroy us.”
The source said the caucus also noted “the
savage” attack on Sen. Peter Nwaboshi, because
he moved a motion on the refusal of the
executive to respect Senate resolutions, and drew
a parallel between the recent travail of Sen. Dino
Melaye and some of their other colleagues.”
While Nwaboshi was recently reported to have
been under the investigation of the EFCC over
contract allegedly awarded to him in his home
State, Delta, Melaye was accused of not being a
Geography graduate of Ahmadu Bello University,
though he has now been exonerated by a Senate
panel. Also recently, there were reports of a
leaked EFCC letter to the President linking the
Senate President to alleged diversion of London-
Paris Club refund.
The PDP caucus meeting, THISDAY learnt, also
reviewed a statement credited to the Oba of
Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, believed to be a close ally of
Tinubu, who recently at a meeting in Lagos
allegedly threatened that the “Senators will see
hell in the coming weeks as fresh attacks will be
launched against their integrity”.
It is therefore the belief of the PDP Senators that
supporters of the former governor are behind the
planned protest against the Senate.
The protest being orchestrated by certain groups
in Abuja and Lagos is scheduled to hold on
Wednesday.
“We will expose them. They were not happy that
Senators supported President Muhammadu
Buhari, when he was away. They thought we will
help them bring down the government because of
their ambition.
“Now they are deploying the EFCC and their
media against us. Ibrahim Magu is a creation of
Tinubu and Oba Akiolu. They want to use him to
protect themselves while also using him and the
anti-graft agency as attack dogs against people,
who are not in their camp.
“That is why when EFCC received petitions against
the head of a federal revenue generation agency
into whose personal account some money due to
government was paid, the anti-graft agency
refused to act. The head of the agency concerned
had held similar position he is holding now in
Lagos. It was the Independent Corrupt Practices
and other related Offences Commission (ICPC)
that is eventually pursuing the case now,” the PDP
caucus member said.
Other revelations at the meeting include the
allegation that the chief of staff of the acting EFCC
boss was nominated by a popular lawyer who
they described as the former governor’s alter ego
and effectively the arrow-head of the Tinubu legal
group.
Another source at the meeting hinted THISDAY
that the lawmakers were bent on going public
with their allegations soon and openly fight back
by confronting the APC chieftain. PDP senators
have equally fixed another meeting for next
Tuesday, the source added.