Newspaper Review: EFCC To Summon Jonathan Over $2bn Arms Procurement?

The five newspapers under review today, Monday, December 7, focus on the issues of the $2 billion arms procurement, and on the Bayelsa governorship election which was held on Saturday, December 5.

There is continuing controversy surrounding the $2 billion arms purchase scandal which enveloped the former national security adviser in the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration, Colonel Sambo Dasuki.

it was reported that Dasuki had tried to avoid a summons from the committee set up in August by the President Mohammadu Buhari-led federal government. Dasuki had subsequently sought a court order to prevent his arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS) and allow him travel abroad for medical attention, but the court order was to no avail as the security agency ignored it.

On the same issue, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission went for the jugular, quizzing all those who had allegedly taken money directly or by proxy from the NSA’s office for whatever reason.

Talking about the arrest of anyone who may have had connections with the diversion of the billions of dollars and the statement the ex-president made during a lecture in Washington that he did not approve such money for arms procurement, The Nation newspaper has posed three questions on the options the EFCC has.

The paper asks: Will the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invite ex-president Goodluck Jonathan to say all he knows about the controversial $2 billion arms deals? Will the anti-graft agency take evidence from the ex-president in camera? Will the EFCC allow its comprehensive investigations to be sufficient enough to try the suspects involved in the arms deals? These are the options being weighed as the agency continues investigations into ‘armsgate’.

But contrary to Jonathan’s claims, the paper reports that more suspects have named the former president as approving huge cash withdrawals by the office of the NSA from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Further in this review, the other four newspapers have the Bayelsa state governorship election held on Saturday, December 5, as the major headline on their front pages.

Vanguard reports that with the official results from five of the eight local councils, Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party yesterday emerged as the front runner in the governorship election having scored 81,929 votes.

He is closely being pursued by the All Progressives Congress standard bearer and immediate past governor of the state, Chief Timipre Sylva, who got 56,514 votes.

The Daily Sun has its headline thus: ‘Governor Dickson leads with 25,415 votes’.

It reports that preliminary results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday showed that Governor Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is leading in the four of the five local government areas (LGAs). Dickson’s main opponent Sylva of the APC alleged rigging. Bayelsa has eight LGAs. The poll was held last Saturday.

The Guardian newspaper has its headline thus: ‘PDP leads in Bayelsa governorship election amid violence’.

The paper reports that as the results were being collated at the INEC state headquarters in Yenagoa, fierce violence was reported to have scuttled the election at the Southern Ijaw local council that has three wards as militants were said to have invaded the area shooting sporadically and sending voters scampering for their safety.

Voting was put forward to yesterday, Sunday, December 6, following threats of violence and lack of adequate security personnel to guide INEC personnel and materials to the distribution centre in Amassoma.

The Punch with its major headline,‘Bayelsa: Dickson leads as INEC declares winner today’, reports that the incumbent governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson of the Peoples Democratic Party, is currently leading his main opponent in Saturday’s governorship election, Timipre Sylva of the All Progressives Congress, with a wide margin after results of five local government areas were released Sunday night.

Dickson, who won in four out of the five LGA results announced by the INEC in Yenagoa, polled 81,929 votes as against Sylva’s 56,514 votes.

Meanwhile, as results from the Bayelsa governorship poll continue to trickle in, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for the cancellation of results in two local government areas, This Day reports.

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