There were indications last week that the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Vincent Ogbulafor, will be arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) for alleged corruption charges this week.
Sources say that the prosecution of Ogbulafor is on account of one of the charges of corruption levelled against him when he was the secretary of the PDP and the Minister of Special Duties during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The allegations were levelled against him between 2004 and 2006.
The source, however, was not sure which of the issues would be the basis for the arraignment.
But the source was certain the (ICPC) had completed the processes required for the arraignment of Ogbulafor.
Ogbulafor was reported to have allegedly been involved in a N40 million scam during the Obasanjo administration when he served as minister.
The said money was reported to belong to the National Economic Intelligence Committee (NEIC), which he superintended over as the Minister of Special Duties.
He was alleged to have “illegally” benefited from the fund through fronts identified as Chris Nwoke and Emeka Ebilah.
There have also been controversies over Ogbulafor's discharge certificate by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
This was the major issue Ogbulafor had to contend with in the process of his emergence as the national secretary of the PDP in 2004.
Scores of people have, however, stood up in defence of Ogbulafor, saying the proposed arraignment was political.
Impeccable sources in the PDP told our correspondents that the plot to prosecute Ogbulafor might not be unconnected with a game plan by some members of the PDP to facilitate the emergence of the Acting President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, as the candidate of the party for the 2011 presidential election.
There have been altercations over the zone that should produce the next president in 2011.
This came about as a result of the ill-health of the President, Alhaji Umaru Yar'Adua, and the emergence of Jonathan as the Acting President.
Based on an unwritten agreement of the PDP, the North should hold the presidency until 2015, with the South producing the deputy.
But since Yar'Adua took ill and Jonathan emerged as president in acting capacity, there have been controversy over the retention of the PDP's zoning formula.
The Nigerian Compass had exclusively reported four weeks ago that Jonathan had come under intense pressure to contest the 2011 presidential election.
Indeed, the Acting President gave a hint towards this in an interview he granted the Cable News Network (CNN) last week.
In the interview, Jonathan was not categorical on whether or not he would contest the election.
As such, when the case against Ogbulafor was slated for reopening, sources in the PDP were quick to link it with the desire of some forces to have Jonathan stand for the 2011 election.
Based on the party's zoning formula, the chairman and the president cannot be from the same zone.
Both Jonathan and Ogbulafor are from the geo-political zone classified as the South by the PDP.
One of the sources in the PDP told the Nigerian Compass that the group supporting the emergence of Jonathan for the 2011 presidential race is spearheaded by a former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani; a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Bello Aminu Masari; and business mogul, Chief Raymond Dokpesi.
Our source revealed that Nnamani, Masari and Dokpesi have pledged to facilitate the process that will throw up Jonathan as the flag bearer of the PDP in the 2011 presidential election.
It was gathered that while the plot does not have the blessing of the state governors elected on the platform of the PDP, the national leadership of the PDP, movers of the Jonathan-for- 2011 initiative, has concluded plans to weed Ogbulafor out of the way.
Our source hinted that the plot is to ease Ogbulafor out of office through the moral question to be raised over the propriety of him continuing as the PDP national chairman because of the charges of corruption against him.
The source said, “The game is fast closing in on him (Ogbulafor). With the plot to charge him to court over charges of corruption, it is well over with Ogbulafor as the PDP national chairman.
“The idea is to raise a moral question on how proper it will be for the national chairman of a ruling party to be facing prosecution over charges bothering on corruption.
“The case against him is expected to the charged to court next week and immediately after that, there will be a lot of agitation within the party calling for the suspension of the chairman until the case against him at the court is concluded.
“Of course, at that point, there will be few options left for Ogbulafor to follow.”
The source further added that while the problem constituted by Ogbulafor will be settled after his prosecution, those pushing for the emergence of Jonathan as the PDP flag bearer in next year's election are also involved in the plot to bring back the former Chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, as the Presidential Adviser on EFCC Matters.
According to the source, the return of Ribadu “will help in whipping some of the state governors who are opposed to Jonathan as the PDP candidate in 2011 back in line.”
The source said that the pressure on Jonathan to run for the 2011 election, “which is fast becoming strong within the party's circle, does not have the blessing of the many of the PDP state governors.”
The source continued, “It believed that the governors will read the handwriting clearly on the wall once Ribadu returns and it is expected that a lot of them will play along.”
It was also gathered that part of the plot by the group is to cause problems across the state chapters of the party, with the emergence of factions, in which the faction that is considered loyal to the Joanthan-for- 2011 cause will be endorsed by the national leadership of the party.
According to another source, one of such moves is the revisiting of the corruption allegations against the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, by the EFCC.
Ibori and some other politicians from the South-South were said to have been against the emergence of Jonathan as Acting President and, by extension, against his running for the presidency in 2011.
“The new charges against Ibori is to keep him away from obstructing the ambition of the Acting President,” the source said.
When our correspondent contacted a former deputy national chairman of the PDP, who craved for anonymity, on the development, he simply retorted, “It is not unnecessary that the leadership structure of the party should be reviewed because we are just a year away from the election year.”
It will be recalled that a section of interest groups within the PDP had moved against a pronouncement by Ogbulafor that Joanthan will not be allowed to run for the presidency in 2011.
Ogbulafor had said this was based on the party's zoning arrangement.
When contacted, the Resident Media Consultant to the ICPC, Mr. Folu Olamiti, said he could not comment on the development.
Olamiti said that he would get back to our correspondents on the issue as soon as he got details.
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