Nigerian Concord Newspaper
Nigerian Concord Newspaper can authoritatively report secret plots by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on EFCC and Anti Corruption, Senator Emmanuel Udende to use the anti graft agency against the twenty three local government chairmen in Benue state.
This plot according to investigations is part of the score-settling scheme in the ongoing political war between the state governor, Reverend Father Hyacinth Alia and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume.
Goe over two years, both Alia and Akume have been locked down in a serious battle over who controls the structure of the All Progressive Congress in Benue State.
Reports have it that the EFCC had last week invited some of the local government chairmen and top officials of their Councils for questioning.
Investigation revealed that the EFCC is acting on last week’s instruction from Senator Udende that the Commission should act on a petition written against the Local Government chairmen in Benue state by Global Integrity Crusade Network.
The pressure group has been linked to one Mrs Nkechi Okafor Perpetual who is a close ally of Senator Abba Moro, the senator representing Benue South at the National Assembly.
Recall that Nkechi Okafor Perpetual and the leaders of the Global Integrity Crusade Network had two years ago sponsored several petitions against a former Special Advisor on Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr. Denis Akuta, accusing him of looting local government funds.
Meanwhile, a source at the EFCC told this newspaper that the recent petition is that only N10million is being given to each local government chairman since they assumed duties, and also that there is no financial autonomy in the local government administration.
But findings showed that it’s just a political strategy to pull down the present administration in Benue state as Udende is the one sponsoring the EFCC onslaught against the local government chairmen.