Recently, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has reopened the probe of former governor Peter Odili, few weeks after meeting with President Bola Tinubu over the political crisis in Rivers.
Even as Odili had obtained a court injunction towards the end of his second tenure, to stop the EFCC from probing him over 16 years ago. Odili is being asked to explain how over N100 billion found its way into his private account or was expended by his administration.
Notably, the former Rivers State governor’s travail began during the era of President Olusegun Obasanjo when he (Odili) braced all the odds to run for the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and was allegedly stopped following some information bordering on financial impropriety in his administration.
Nuhu Ribadu, who was the chairman of the EFCC then is now the National Security Adviser (NSA) to President Bola Tinubu.
Rotimi Amaechi, the then Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly under Odili was arrested by the anti-graft agency to help with vital information on the financial transactions of the state.
Odili quickly approached a Federal High Court in 2008 and was granted a perpetual injunction stopping the EFCC, its chairman and other operatives from investigating the financial books of the Rivers State government, including himself or any official of the state on the subject matter.
After over 16 years, EFCC has now come up to say that it was beaming its searchlight on the alleged fraud involving the former Rivers State governor.
Though there are permutations that the move to revisit Odili’s corruption case despite pending court injunction may have nothing to do with his obvious stand behind Governor Sim Fubara.
(Opera)