IT is no longer news that barely hours of handing over the reins of government to Prof. Charles Soludo, former governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.
Obiano, who was reportedly arrested around 8.30pm on Thursday, has been moved to Abuja by the anti-corruption agency.
Following his apprehension while reportedly on his way to Houston, Texas in the United States, some nosy birds close to the former governor’s political camp have been going around saying he had a premonition of his arrest and had actually planned to sneak out of the country immediately after leaving office to forestall being nabbed by the EFCC.
Sentry even heard from the grapevine that Obiano had considered not waiting till the handing over ceremony before leaving the country, but shelved that idea after some considerations. However, he was said to have made arrangement to leave the country immediately after handing over to Soludo on Thursday.
“Obiano knew he was being trailed by the EFCC and the possibility of his being picked up was high. He made plans to leave the country once he handed over. That was why he was at the airport in Lagos few hours after he left office as governor. He was meant to be safely outside the country by the next morning. But the plan failed and he is now being interrogated as he feared,” a former commissioner in the state told Sentry.
APC: Buni, Bello synergy to the rescue
THERE’S no more war in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) is at peace and all those hoping to see its members engage in a free-for-all fight ahead of the party’s convention later this month may be disappointed.
Instead of a fight, the two leading figures in the expected face-off are now collaborating towards ensuring the convention holds as planned. For the record, Governor Mai Buni of Yobe and Chairman, APC’s CECPC is back from his medical vacation and has assumed office unchallenged.
Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State, the man many expected to challenge him, has said he acted for Buni while the former was away and has no reason to upstage him.
Buni has even praised Bello for effectively managing the party’s affairs in his absence. The Yobe governor endorsed his Niger counterpart’s actions when he said activities at the party’s national secretariat did not stop in his absence because Bello was fully in charge. “Therefore, all actions and measures taken by the committee under his leadership as Acting Chairman remain effective,” he had said, just as Bello promised to work closely with Buni until the convention is successfully held.
As it is, the Buni/Bello synergy has saved the day for the ruling party and shattered the expectations of all who had written premature obituaries.