Buhari CONFUSED As 'Saints' In His Kitchen Cabinet Enmesh In High Profile Corrupt Practices

President Muhammadu Buhari is said to be confused on how to handle reports of his kitchen cabinet members are enmeshed in some high profile corrupt practices.

After his inauguration in May 29th 2015, it took Buhari over six months to name his cabinet members, in a bid to ensure they are 'saints' and share his resolved to fight the corruption monsters to a standstill.

An Investigation by, Ripples Nigeria  suggests that once touted as closely knit, Buhari’s kitchen cabinet appears to be crumbling in the face of growing ego conflicts, mutual suspicion as well as mounting allegations of corruption among its members.

Exactly a week ago, June 22 to be exact, the nation’s media space was awash with stories of President Buhari’s meeting with hundreds of State House staff. The gathering which appeared routine has since become subject of intense speculations.

An early pointer to unease within the system was the quiet grumblings that greeted Jalal Arbi, the State House Permanent Secretary, when he told the expectant crowd that they had been assembled to bid President Buhari a warm welcome from his medical trip abroad.

Arbi was quoted as having said to Buhari, “This is the congregation of your children privileged to work in the Villa. We have gathered to welcome you and reassure you of our commitment to integrity, accountability and most importantly fear of God. We pray God to continue to strengthen you and give you peace of mind and tranquility to govern.”‎

No questions were entertained from the motley crowd once Mr President was done with his speech.

The show of solidarity and support, inside sources confided in Ripples Nigeria, were meant to conceal growing disenchantment and portray cohesion within and among the fractured leadership of the President’s closest aides.

Coincidentally, on the same day, news broke of a major conflict involving, perhaps, three of the closest members of Buhari’s kitchen cabinet. An ego war was reported to have pitched Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, and Lawal Daura, DG, DSS against the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu.

The bone of contention, inside sources claim, was Magu’s “intransigence” over attempts by Abba Kyari and the DG DSS to pervert investigations and cover up corruption allegedly perpetrated by Jide Omokore of Sahara Energy, a known ally of Diezani Allison-Madueke, former Minister of Petroleum who is now embroiled in corruption scandal.

The in-fighting within the ranks is said to have been accentuated with the orchestrated arrest and detention of Air Commodore Umar Muhammed, a member of the presidential panel investigating arms procurement. The arrest was on the orders of the DSS boss, a co-member of the same panel.

Sources say the exercise was meant to nail Magu, the EFCC Chairman, as Commodore Umar is alleged to have acted as a front for him in the massive looting of state resources. Interestingly, Magu who is also a member of the same panel has washed his hands off the allegation, apparently to save his skin.

Sources tell Ripples Nigeria that the quiet rumblings within the kitchen cabinet have not gone un-noticed, and that President Buhari is said to be chewing softly on the matter because of its sensitive nature, and his well-known stance against corruption.

“He does not want to betray any emotions or trigger an alarm”, our source said.

Already, Buhari is said to be at a loss on how to deal with the rumoured move by his Chief of staff, Abba Kyari, to stall Magu’s confirmation which is still pending.

President Buhari’s headaches have not been made lighter as he figures what to also make of the allegations of corrupt enrichment hanging on the neck of his Chief of Army staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai, who is largely seen as a poster boy for the administration.

2 Obanikoro's Houses Raided In Lagos By EFCC, See Photos

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) today Tuesday June 14th stormed the Lagos residences of former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, taking away cars and other valuables.

The two homes raided were the former minister’s private residence at Park View Estate in Ikoyi and the house near Banana Island, also in Ikoyi where his two sons, Jide and Gbolahan live with their families.

Obanikoro has been on the radar of the EFCC for a while over his role in the $2.1 billion arms scandal that rocked the office of the National Security Adviser, held then by retired Colonel Sambo Dasuki.

Obanikoro was believed to have received a substantial amount from Dasuki for the governorship election held in Ekiti State, which was won by his party’s candidate, Ayo Fayose.

He was also believed to have received money for the 2015 presidential election as one of the South West coordinators for the bid of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was seeking a second term.

Obanikoro has since left for the United States of America.

He said he has returned to school.

Obanikoro’s media aide, Jonathan Eze, released a statement detailing what transpired. The statement reads

“Officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Tuesday in their characteristic Gestapo like manner invaded Senator Obanikoro’s houses in Ikoyi with unnecessary intimidation and harassment of occupants who are majorly innocent kids, teenagers, his wife and daughter in-laws not without carting away cars, wristwatches and other valuables. This is against the backdrop of the fact that the anti- graft agency has never invited him nor his sons for questioning beyond the tirades and allegations they have been propagating using the media spaces. 

We are using this medium to draw attention of all Nigerians to yet another infringement on the fundamental and inalienable rights of the Obanikoro family. Lovers of freedom should not wait until our democracy is put at irreversible damage. The list of human rights violations and political persecution has reached an alarming rate. 

We see this as an affront and a further show of shame and ignominy of this present administration hell bent in politically persecuting its perceived opponents in other to stoop them and rubbish their hard earned reputation of untainted public services. 

To our chagrin, the vehicles driven away were cars and trucks bought since 2006 and thereabouts when Senator Obanikoro served as an Ambassador in Ghana among others which obviously had no bearing with the purported investigation they are supposedly carrying out.

We condemn in strong terms the brigandage and the idea of Inflicting trauma on innocent dependants and violating their privacies without recourse to the rule of Law. Senator Obanikoro has consulted with his Lawyers and are prepared to meet them in court to stop this intrusions and persecution,”.

Spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwajeren, confirmed the raid of Obanikoro's home. He said

"I can tell you that no one was harassed in the course of the search and that it is part of ongoing investigation on the man. Our operatives who went there conducted their affairs in best practices and took some vehicles away. I cannot immediately give inventory on the things that were carted away but that will be made known in due time. I do not think we need any permission from the man to do our job. Full details will be disclosed when we get there,” he said.

#DiezaniGate: Jonathan Offered Us N2b Bribe Ahead 2015 Poll-Transition Monitoring Group Reveals Top Secrets

More facts have surfaced in the ongoing investigation by the Economic  and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into $115 million slush fund illegally raised by the embattled former minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Aliso-Madueke as Transition Monitoring Group,  a coalition of over 400 civic organizations, alleged yesterday that former President Goodluck Jonathan administration offered it a bribe of N2 billion for the  purpose of  compromising the outcome of the 2015 elections through some agents, a report on The Nation Newspaper says.

TMG chairman, Comrade Ibrahim  Zikirullahi, revealing the kept secret branded the bribe offer as a dubious proposal. He said; ”Specifically, some errand boys from the Presidency at the time came to us with a dubious proposal that 50,000 agents of the PDP be fielded as TMG observers,”  Zikirullahi said in a statement.

“In financial terms, the errand boys expressed the Presidency’s readiness to fund the fraud with the sum of N2 billion Naira.”

Fidelity Bank, which handled the disbursement of the funds, has already refunded the N49.7million profit it made from the deal while the EFCC  is said to have  recovered N408.7million from some of the beneficiaries of the slush funds.

The TMG said yesterday that it has now been “vindicated by the latest revelations from the EFCC about how some INEC chiefs and election monitors shared from N23.3 billion slush provided by former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison Madueke.”

 It added:”With the realization that a good name is better than silver and gold, we stoutly rejected the Greek gift, just as we held our head high in defence of the truth and the best interest of Nigerians.

 ”The participants in this grand scale bazaar had only one objective: to subvert the electoral process, undermine the votes of the Nigerian people and rig in their paymaster.

“It is utterly shocking that people entrusted with the sacred and heavy responsibility of superintending the electoral process would descend so low to stake the credibility of a critical democratic institution on the altar of quick enrichment.

“In any case, the TMG had always known that the day of reckoning would come for all those who sought to exchange the sacred position they occupy for a mess of pottage.

“The bigger tragedy is the case of so-called civil society organizations which threw the very basis of their credibility as election observers to the dogs.

“We cannot mince words about the fact that these indicted INEC officials and their monetized co-conspirators masquerading as election observers have betrayed the nation.

“They are the unscrupulous elements who give the nation a bad name in the international community.

“It is, therefore, imperative for the EFCC to do a clinical investigation and ensure all those culpable are named, shamed and jailed.

“It is pertinent to recall that in the build-up to the 2015 elections, the TMG kept on announcing that there were anti-democratic forces heavily funded by filthy lucre from the immediate past Presidency which wanted to undermine the electoral process.

“We repeatedly warned all stakeholders to be on their guard in order to wade off all machinations bent on subverting the express wishes of Nigerians.

“It is also worthy to note that the TMG itself was not spared the excruciating pressure and inducement aimed at pushing us to compromise our position.

“For daring to turn down what the enemies of democracy termed, a “juicy” offer, the TMG was repeatedly vilified and persecuted by institutions of the state.

 “Even after the elections, TMG Chairman, Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, was severally trailed by unknown men, who obviously had sinister intentions.

“In the end, the TMG, as an organization, chose not to travel on the path of least resistance.

“As the chickens come home to roost with these weighty revelations from the EFCC, it is time to separate the patriots from the chaff both in civil society and in the INEC.

“For us, the INEC, as an institution, should immediately set up a far-reaching and transparent disciplinary process to make a public example of all those rotten elements who descended so low to drag the institution in the mud.

“It is only by implementing this process of thorough cleansing that INEC can begin the process of restoring public confidence.

“As for those weak characters in civil society, who decided to sell their conscience and shirk their responsibility to the Nigerian people, it is time to account.

“And because our vindication as a civil society coalition rings clear, all we can say is: let the music play and let the traitors who attempted to toy with the nation’s destiny face the melody.”