Group Wants Plateau Speaker To Step Down, Demands EFCC Probe

A group known as the Youths Rights Against Corruption (YRAC) has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), accusing the speaker of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Hon. Nuhu Abok Ayuba, of abuse of office and financial misappropriation.

Signed by the YRAC executive director, Comrade Abednego Musa, and 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”, the group also demanded that the Speaker immediately step down from his position, pending the completion of the EFCC investigation.

In the petition addressed to the chairman of the anti-graft commission, the group said it was necessitated by popular demand and to avert “further bleeding of the public treasury.”

The statement read: “Further to a 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 a 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 rights group further stated that the speaker is perfecting his schemes by abusing the autonomy granted the House of Assembly.

According to the group, some of the allegations for which it is seeking the enquiry of the anti-graft commission includes “use of fictitious companies as fronts for cornering supply of 50 trucks of Fertilizer contracts and fleecing of N375m (Three Hundred and seventy Five Million naira) public funds . A probe of the businesses of the House since his leadership should reveal how notoriously Abok has been breaching public trust by diverting contracts and projects into companies of his interest with the active connivance of the clerk of the House.

“Purchase of a bullet-proof car at a market value of less than N100 Million (One Hundred Million Naira), and the inflation of its price to N300 Million (Three Hundred Million Naira). Apart from being inflated by a whopping 200%, the purchase of the vehicle was done in a questionable manner contrary to procurement acts. This constitutes a flagrant abuse of office and the exercise of privilege with impunity in a country where majority of the citizens live on less than a dollar a day”.

“Payment of humongous allowances of N150m (One Hundred and Fifty million naira only) as Basic Travelling Allowances (BTA) for members of the Assembly with neither prior discussion with members nor official approval by the House. We have it on good authority that the members did not undertake such trips, which had no destination.

“Compromise of operational procedures, creation of an extra-legal hierarchy and privileging cronies at the expense of the system. This is by far the greatest calamity to befall the Lagos House of Assembly to Plateau State House of Assembly under Abok’s watch. Regulatory procedures have been in most cases set aside with the connivance of the Clerk of the House with the ill-intent of carrying out governmental business for private gains and as a private concern”.

“Collected N500m (Five Hundred Million Naira) laundered funds through a suspended Chairman of APC to recruit innocent House members destabilise the State and make the state ungovernable through induced crisis. This explains why he is always rushing to the media to discredit the efforts of the State government in restoring peace for selfish gains. Little wonder he disappears when National leadership of CAN, JNI and the SGF including security chiefs visited the state.”

The group said it would amount to a breach of public trust if the allegations against the Plateau speaker are not investigated, adding that “such a man of questionable character cannot continue to act as Speaker to the Plateau State House of Assembly.”

“It is our belief that the actions and activities of Honorable Nuhu Abok Ayuba at the Plateau State House of Assembly is detrimental to the interest of the people of Plateau State and his primary constituency which elected him to serve. It is also 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.

“It is therefore, our demand that such boy with questionable character should step down from the position of the Speaker to the Plateau State House of Assembly pending the completion of investigation,” the group alleged.

However, the speaker has described the allegations as false and the handiwork of mischief makers.

Speaking through his chief press secretary, Bulus Atang, the speaker said he would respond to the allegations at an appropriate time.