By Dwelleth Morountodun
The Senate has received a request from President Muhammadu Buhari to replace his earlier nomination of Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade from Ekiti State for confirmation as Commissioner at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Meanwhile, the Commission in a statement signed by Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, which was made available to EXTRAORDINAIRE News, said a former Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, Dr. Edna Mogekwu, has been sentenced to jail for refusing to honour the Commission’s invitations on allegations of corruption and other underhand dealings.
Buhari’s call for replacement of the Ekiti nominee, was contained in a letter which was read on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, seeking to replace Yaya-Kolade with Olugbenga Adeyanju, AIG (Rtd).
However, Adeyanju who is also from Ekiti State is expected to be confirmed as Commissioner representing the South-west zone at the Commission, after the completion of all the due formalization and legal processes.
The letter reads in part, “I’m accordance with the provision of Section 3(3)(a) ICPC Act, I wrote to forward for confirmation by the Senate, the appointment of Olugbenga Adeyanju, AIG (Rtd) from Ekiti State as Commissioner representing South-West replacing the other nominee, at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). The nominee’s CV Is attached.
“It is my hope that the Senate will consider and confirm the nominee in the usual expeditious manner.”
ICPC, averred that for her failure to honour the Commission’s invitation, Dr. Mogekwu, was sentenced to a two-year, one-month jail term, in addition to three other principal officers of the institution who were also convicted, were charged before Justice Marshal Umukoro, of the Delta State High Court, Asaba, by ICPC over their failure to appear before investigators to clear themselves of allegations of corruption.
According to Ogugua, the principal officers convicted alongside the Rector by the court to one-month prison term each are a former Registrar, Collins Onyenwenu, a former Bursar, Andy Ughusuena and a former Director of Works of the Polytechnic, Joseph Idabor.
ICPC had earlier filed a 5-count charge against the convicts before Justice Umukoro, in which it accused them of repeatedly refusing to honour invitations from the Commission.
ICPC Counsel, Ogochukwu Iwoba, had told the court that the Rector and her accomplices who were under investigation for acts of corruption by the Commission failed to appear for interrogations when they were required.
The offences, allegedly committed in 2015, also consists of their refusal to honour an order to produce documents required by investigators of the Commission, contrary to Section 28 (1) (b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 and punishable under Section 28 (10) of the same Act.
Justice Umukoro, at the conclusion of trial, found them guilty on four out of five counts and therefore sentenced the trio of the Registrar, Bursar and Director of Works to one-month imprisonment accordingly.
The Rector was found guilty on counts one, two and three out of the five counts by the court. Justice Umukoro ruled that she would therefore serve one year imprisonment for counts two and three and one month’s jail term for count one. The sentences will run concurrently, the court ruled.