By Ishaya Ibrahim
The voices of former governors who are currently representing their various constituencies in the senate, and other opposition lawmakers are hardly heard.
This is not because they have nothing to say. They simply don’t know what they may say that could trigger the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to come knocking.
The EFCC, TheNiche has reliably gathered, has a dossier on many of the lawmakers, especially those who are former governors. This is the reason they are quiet, even those who are of the opposition stock.
“What we have on many of the lawmakers ranges from a misdemeanour to outright criminality,” an insider source at the EFCC told our correspondent on the condition of anonymity.
The former governors and other lawmakers who have decided to remain so quiet in the Senate, even when their job is to debate issues and policies of the government, may have taken a cue of what has happened to their colleagues who decided to voice out.
When the Senator representing Gombe Central, Danjuma Goje, accused the presidency of proposing to spend N1.5 trillion on social investment programme, his home was raided a few days later.
The police which led the raid said they found N18m and $19,000 at the senator’s residence.
The Abia South senator, Enyinnaya Abaribe, was also ruffled for allegedly being too critical of the policies of President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said the State Security Services (SSS) that got him arrested, accused him of sponsoring the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB).
Dino Melaye has two criminal trials around his neck for being too forward with his views.
Both the senate president, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu have paid dearly for voicing views that were perceived not to be in sync with that of the government in power.
The former governors who have decided to keep sealed lips in the Senate are; Theodore Orji (Abia), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa), Sam Egwu (Ebonyi), Joshua Dariye (Plateau), Jonah Jang (Plateau), Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko (Sokoto), Ahmed Sani Yarima (Zamfara), Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe), Adamu Aliero (Kebbi) and George Akume (Benue).
