Group Urges EFCC To Investigate Senator Bwacha For AllegedFraudulent Activities

By Akinwale Kasali

Senator Emmanuel Bwacha representing Taraba South Senatorial District is in the eye of the storm. He has come under strong criticism from his constituents for allegedly  being  involved in fraudulent activities.

A Group under the aegis of Southern Taraba Concerned Citizens has urged the  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to investigate the Lawmaker  for allegedly  converting Constituency Projects to personal use.

In a Statement by the Group during a Press Conference held in Abuja, it said the illicit and fraudulent activities of Senator Bwacha has become worrisome and it is affecting the Zone and Southern Taraba people in general.

The Group said the people of the Zone have experienced long suffering as a result of the fraudulent activities and poor performances by Senator Bwacha.

Hon. Daniel Likam, the Coordinator of the Group said that Senator Bwacha can be described as a lucky and blessed politician who has been judiciously rewarded by the nations nascent democracy since 1999.

Likam said since 1999, Bwacha has always held political offices, sadly, he does not have any reasonable capital project he executed to his credit in his constituency considering the number of years he has been in office and the tax payers money that he has been given to work with or even supervise its usage .

The statement reads; “He has over the last 30 something years been actively involved in the politics of Taraba state and he has not deem it fit to  groom or mentor any one aside giving employment opportunities to   his immediate family members only and at very least his kinsmen from his tribe and village  only without considering the other local governments areas under his Constituency.

“If at all, the senator out of 52 wards under him he  decides to always site  70 percent of all his mini projects to his own ward which Is Mararaba ward in Donga local government area.

“Having been a ranking Senator and Principal Officer in the Senate Chamber after his term in the Federal House Of Representatives, he has not been doing anything to show Southern Taraba that he has been given funds by the Federal Government as part of intervention and constituency development funds like other principal officers to work for their people.

“ And we want to put it on record to the press and the world today  that we as a concern group from his senatorial district have compiled a list of  all zonal intervention projects and funds running into billions of Naira over the years which he and his close allies siphoned to themselves and never executed them and we have the records in facts and figures to back up our case.

“We can also authoritatively tell you  a copy of our petitions has been with  the EFCC and action has since begun.  To this end, we must commend the current leadership of the EFCC under AbdulRasheed Bawa who has so far used his good offices to send his operatives to our zone to see things for themselves and investigate properly last year despite the effort of the senator to stop them. This is coming after same Senator used his political powers to frustrate the investigations of the ICPC.

“Few amongst the project he  has converted for personal use is the proposed multi million naira Suntai Dam which the senator  converted to a certain Rig drilling company called Shimo  Community Rig which he initially said it was for the use of the zone but we have it on good authority he has converted it to commercial  use and working around Taraba and neighboring  states as a private business.

“Another of such is a fake MOU with the Federal University Wukari Staff School which he dubiously signed with the Management to personally manage the school for as long as 28 years using his companies and allies in the  arrangement that has subjected the  school and heritage of our people to become his personal property  for self-enrichment and enslaved our people the more.

“It is no longer news that the senator prefers to share or distribute motor bikes popularly called okada to the people while keeping to himself and his close friends and family members most the funds meant for bigger intervention programs and projects in our constituency.

“We are also aware and want to tell the world that as a ranking senator and former minority leader there are privileges and opportunities that comes with such offices and the senator from our findings have nothing on ground  in the form of a capital projects on behalf southern Taraba and he never executed perfectly even the mini projects he claims to have done neither did he make or create  opportunities open his, constituent to benefit but just to himself and his cronies as contractors.

“Furthermore, we want to make it very clear to the world that contrary to the speculation that he left the PDP in Taraba because he was not welcomed anymore in the party by our  Governor,  we must say that his exit from PDP Taraba is never a problem to worry about rather he decamped to the APC due to the pressure of EFCC   as other former corrupt PDP members did, a trend we are appealing to the President of Nigeria and APC national Leadership not to entertain and welcome to the ruling party people with such questionable records of financial misappropriation”.

The Group also alleged that the Senator has lost touch with the electorate who elected him.

“He is on his way out of politics and government that is why he is desperately  seeking for a soft Landing from prosecution by joining the ruling party to get political immunity from investigation by the hard working EFCC who are already closing in on his case.”

Likam added that that the Group is currently documenting all that the senator has done to the zone since he came to the National Assembly In terms of works, projects and programs.

It stressed that it has documented that projects that were not properly executed but diverted, manipulated and that do not reflect the terms and years he has spent representing southern Taraba compared to his fellow principal officers and some Senators.

It also appealed to the Media to beam their lights on the activities of the senator in Southern Taraba and also encourage  the EFCC to as a matter service to Southern Taraba senatorial district and the nation to continue with the good work of their deep investigation on the misappropriation of funds meant for southern Taraba senatorial district, as the Group is ready to assist the EFCC with facts, figures and even pictures to support its  allegations and petition aside the ones we have already submitted before now.

It would be recalled that Senator Bwacha recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC from the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the Group is alleging that he jumped ship so as to circumvent investigations against him.

The Senator, a few days ago, defected from PDP to the APC, citing Taraba Governor’s bad leadership in the State.