PROFILE: The Six Ex-Convicts Among Class Of 1999 Governors Hosted By Tinubu

By Kabeer Adeniyi

President Bola Tinubu met with “The class of 1999 governors” at the presidential villa, Abuja on July 12.

The former governors in attendance include James Ibori ( Delta state); Donald Duke (Cross River); Niyi Adebayo (Ekiti); Lucky Igbinedion(Edo); Orji Uzor Kalu( Abia ) and Sam Egwu (Ebonyi).

Others are Chimaroke Nnamani (Enugu); Ibrahim Saminu Turaki (Jigawa); Adamu Muazu (Bauchi); Obong Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom)’ Olusegun Osoba (Ogun); Bisi Akande (Osun); Ahmad Yerima (Zamfara); Jolly Nyame (Taraba); Attahiru Bafarawa (Sokoto) and Joshua Dariye (Plateau).

The governor’s were said to have been at Aso Rock to express their solidarity with Tinubu over his recent policies since assumption as president on May 29, 2023.

BattaFiles profiles some of the ex-convicts present at the meeting.

Orji Uzor Kalu

He was Abia State Governor from 1999 to 2007. The EFCC charged him to a federal high court where he was found guilty of financial fraud to the tune of N7.65 billion.

He perpetrated the crime using Slok Nigeria Limited, a private company belonging to him. The court ordered the company to be wounded up and all assets forfeited to the government.

He’s currently a senator.

Joshua Dariye

Dariye ruled as Plateau State Governor for eight years before becoming a senator.

A high court of the Federal Capital Territory sentenced him to 14 years imprisonment in 2018. He succeeded in getting the term reduced to ten years at the Court of Appeal.

The offence for which the court convicted the ex-governor was the misappropriation of N1.126 billion from Plateau government’s ecological fund.

Lucky Igbinedion

Lucky Igbinedion, who led Edo State as governor from 1999-2007, was also found guilty of monetary fraud.

The court fined him of N3.5 million in 2008 following a criminal lawsuit filed against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He agreed to pay the money in place of six months in jail.

At another instance, EFCC accused him of embezzling N2.6 billion and he pleaded guilty in a plea bargain arrangement and was ordered to refund N500 million and forfeit three Abuja-located properties by a federal high court sitting in Enugu.

Diepreye Alamieyeseigha

Alamieyeseigha filed and submitted his asset declaration form to the Code of Conduct Bureau before his inauguration as the Governor of Bayelsa State in 1999.

He had a few landed properties, cars, two bank accounts and buildings all valued to be above N67,000,000.

By the time he finished his tenure, he was said to be enmeshed in many atrocities. He was first impeached by the State House of Assembly in 2005 and upon admission of guilt to corruption charges, a Lagos federal high court sent him to prison in 2007.

Jolly Nyame

He was a governor of Taraba State between 1999 and 2007. He would later have his days in prison for money diversion.

The court found him guilty of approving the diversion of public funds amounting to N345 million to a private company, Saman global, within five weeks in 2005.

James Ibori

The former governor of Delta was jailed for credit card crime in the United Kingdom.

Upon leaving office in 2007, attempts to make him face the law for financial crimes met brick walls.

He later faced a money laundering lawsuit in the UK, where he got a 13-year jail term for about £50 million fraud.

Credit: BattaBox

PROFILE: The Six Ex-Convicts Among Class Of 1999 Governors Hosted By  Tinubu