There was a mild drama, at the Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, the State capital after the flag bearer of Labour Party, Ken Pela, denied allegations of indictment at the Delta State Building Society and Ughievwen Community Microfinance Bank where he worked years ago.
During cross examination on Thursday July 20th 2023, by Magaji Mato Ibrahim, SAN, the lead counsel to the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi FNIM, OON, the LP gubernatorial candidate denied any indictment.
He however agreed before the three man Panel of Justices led by Justice H C. Ahuchaogu that a Committee was setup to investigate issues of embezzlement at the Building Society at a time.
He equally agreed that he didn’t supply those information of the indictment on his nomination form.
He argued that his reason for not supplying the information was that, it was not stated in the nomination form of his party he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the March 18th governorship election in the State.
He affirmed that at some point of his life, he had the privilege of working as a public servant under Delta State.
He told the tribunal that one of those places he had the privileges to work, was the Delta State Building Society.
He told the tribunal that he also had the privilege of working at Ughievwen Community Microfinance Bank.
“I worked at the Ughievwen Microfinance Bank not under Delta State but in Delta State. Yes my Lords”.
When grilled further, the LP standard bearer, equally agreed that several issues arose that led to the setting up of a Committee to investigate some anomalies.
“Yes, in Delta State Building Society, there were anomalies that led to the setting up of Committee to investigate the Delta Building Society. Yes, not me but in Delta State Building Society.
While he denied that it was untrue that the committee indicted him as one of those people who were responsible for embezzlement of funds, he said the party’s nomination form did not provide a space for him to supply those information after denying that he was not indicted.
Asked that he did not supply those information that indicted him in the nomination form that he filled, he said: “the nomination form did not ask me if I have ever been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction not indictment”.
When Ibrahim, SAN further pulled his weight on him that he didn’t provide the information, Pela, who was already agitated said: “It is because the nomination form did not provide for it to supply the information of the Committee of Enquiry because the nomination form did not state that”, he repeated helplessly.
It would be recall that, The New Diplomat, had reported that an umbrella body of professionals of Delta state origin, known as Delta Professionals Network, (DPN), has blown open and drawn the attention of the general public and Deltans in particular to the probe panel set up by the Delta State government in 2009 which Indicted the Labour Party Candidate, Deacon Ken Pela while serving as chairman, Delta Building Society.
The Government probe Panel of inquiry headed by the then Delta State Commissioner for Finance and later re-examined by another team headed by the then Delta State Deputy Governor, Prof Amos Utuama, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had found Ken Pela guilty of corruptly diverting public funds to personal use in building his private house in Lagos and accordingly enriching himself massively to the tune of N100m.
According to the Delta Professionals drawn from the three Senatorial zones, namely Central, North and South, in a statement signed by its Chairman,Chief Nnemeka Osuji, Secretary, Dr Steve Umukoro and Publicity Secretary, Elder John Bikawei, the body revealed the Labor Party Candidate was not only indicted but was dismissed and consequently sacked as chairman of the DBS and as such he is ineligible to hold any public office except otherwise cleared by the Supreme court (the highest court in the land) or pardoned by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria or any presidential body so authorized by the President of Nigeria and gazetted accordingly.
It will be recalled that the government of Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, acting on series of petitions against Ken Pela over alleged cases of fraudulent enrichment, had set up a probe panel headed by the then commissioner of finance in 2009 which recommended his dismissal and a review panel headed by the then Deputy Governor, Prof Amos Utuama, SAN, to review and look into all the circumstances surrounding the fraudulent disappearance of N100 million released to the Delta Building Society (Pela was Chairman of DBS), which were traced to Ken Pela ‘s personal account in Lagos.
The review panel headed by Prof Utuama (SAN) did not only indict Ken Pela and found him guilty of corruptly enriching himself to the tune of N100m of Delta state funds but also endorsed the Commissioner of Finance’s led Panel report for consequential sack.
Consequently, Ken Pela was sacked by the Delta State government for corruption, stealing and illicit enrichment and asked to refund the money to the Delta State coffers.
According to the Delta Professionals,he who comes to equity must come with clean hands, noting that the 1999 Constitution as amended does not allow any one with indictment hanging on his neck to contest for political office in the country as examples of such in the first, Second and current Republics abound.
Indeed, it would be recalled that late Chief Joseph Orhorho was dropped as a Ministerial nominee by President Shehu Shagari during the Second Republic after uncovering shocking findings that late Chief Joseph Orhorho was indicted by the then Midwest Government probe panel for corruptly diverting public money to personal use and was accordingly replaced by Chief Sowho. Indeed, the Senate in the Second Republic had stepped down the nomination of late Chief Joseph Orhorho and in his place, Chief Sowho stepped in.
Investigations also reveal that Prof Amos Utuama (SAN) who recommended Ken Pela for the job was very disappointed at the conduct of the said Ken Pela when he was finally found guilty after it was further uncovered that Ken Pela who is today masquerading as a Guber candidate after 14 years, had used the diverted N100 million to start a personal building project in Lagos.
The Delta Professionals wonder why the labour Party could not do due diligence on the background of some of their candidates like Ken Pela who are today damaging, staining the name of Peter Obi under the alter of politics.
The Delta Professionals also alerted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,EFCC, and other anti-graft agencies including ICPC to take note as the DPN is ready, equipped to drag Pela with petitions to the above bodies for stealing N100m from the suffering people of Delta state government funds when he was chairman of Delta Building Society, DBS. The body also maintained that it is prepared to go to court to expose the ineligibility of the Labour Party Candidate.
The statement further highlighted the reasons why Ken Pela went into oblivion since 2009 only to reapaer in 2023 thinking that Deltans have forgotten his inglorious past, noting that all those who played part in the probe panel are still alive.
The Delta Professionals therefore urged all Deltans to shun this indicted politician hiding under the cover of Mr Peter Obi and vote for competence, sound educational background, evidence of good governance at all levels of public service, track record of excellent performance in projects execution and delivery across countless communities in Delta State and an exposed, sound professional that will take Delta state to the next level in the coming election on Saturday.
