NOVEMBER 7, 2014 BY JOHN ALECHENU

In this interview with JOHN ALECHENU, a
former President of the Senate (2003-2005),
Senator Adolphus Wabara, speaks about the
N55m bribe-for-budget scandal, the third term
saga and the recently concluded National
Conference


Sometime in 2005, you resigned as President
of the Senate over N55m bribe-for-budget
scandal. What happened to the case?



The third term thing, if you have not heard,
started from May 29, 2003 when Obasanjo was
inaugurated for a second term. That was why
when I became Senate President on June 3,
2003, he invited me to his office sometime in
July and that was the longest time I had stayed
with Obasanjo - for two whole hours. My
younger brother, the then Chairman of
Hallmark Bank, was also there. The Chief of
Staff to Obasanjo then, Gen. Abdullahi
Mohammed, was interrupting the meeting
every 15 - 20 minutes for two hours and
Obasanjo kept telling him to wait. By the time
we came out, there were so many ministers
and many foreign dignitaries waiting to see the
President. They were wondering what these
two brothers were doing with Obasanjo inside.
It was then he told me that I was doing a very
good job and if I knew that was what he was
angling for I would have told him off. Anyway,
I told him how could I be Senate President in
2007? He was trying to recruit me but I
refused to be recruited.

The third term thing did not start when
Nigerians started seeing the handwriting. We
saw the third term thing then because of the
desperation, because his time was running out.
He had a National Conference too at that time
and I said I wasn't going to fund that confab - I
said you have your contingency which then was
N 1bn. I said you can fund your confab from
the contingency and that was why that confab
cost him N900m. We have all these details.
But I didn't know I was dealing with a man who
will never forgive. He begged me to be
present at the opening ceremony of that
conference and asked me to please ensure
that I came there with Aminu Masari (the then
Speaker of the House of Representatives). If
you guys were watching, I walked across Masari
and dragged him physically for us to go there
for the opening ceremony. As soon as we
finished the opening ceremony, we left them.

There was the N50m third term largesse then,
did you partake of it? We learnt that N50m was
brought to your house?

Of course, no. I didn't collect any money. But
that is another story and it is true that they
were distributing N50m. But unfortunately,
some of those who did the distribution are the
ones enjoying the government today. If
people like us did not kill the third term, those
who are in power today wouldn't be there.
Many of those who shared the money are still
in the Senate today, those who physically
distributed the N50m. Those of us who killed
the third term are not even remembered. I
know that on Thursday, May 16, 2007, that was
the day the third term agenda died. By 1.30
am, the sum of N250m was brought to me in
my house. The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission can come after me and I will tell
them the whole story. N250m was brought and
I refused that money. If you juxtapose what
I'm saying now with my speech that morning
of May 16, 2007, I said anybody who has
collected any money on my behalf should
please return the money to where it came
from because I knew what I was talking about.
Somebody could lie that I collected that
money and just keep the money. I refused
that money when it was brought to me. So,
mine was not even N50m. It was N250m with
a promise that they would bring more to me if
everything worked out fine.

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story.

OBJ and his thrid term agenda!
When will our leaders dare to tell us the truth?

God bless Wabara, Alameyiesega and every other person that fought to preserve our democracy and faced terrible consequences as a result.

Those people that fought against third term agenda are not relevant in nigeria political circle as of today.Obj too strong o

Senator Wabara, the fraudster senator has spoken

Crude, Cruel, Cunning and Corrupt! And he is the new APC Navigator. No need to mention names.

Obijenje

ok

Funny how anyperson ever accused of corruption in nigeria and wt glaring evidence to boot,once out of govt proclaims himself as a saint and d victimised.
As some wud say "story for d gods".

It is very easy for these characters to come out and tell lies in this season of stealing is not corruption. If Alams can get presidential pardon, why not Wabara who caught pants down with his fingers stained with oil of bribe taking.
Was he the senate president in 2007? and not Ken Nnamani and by May 2007, Yar'dua was already president-elect and 3rd term was dead effectively. Who was Wabara in 2007 in the senate that anyone will bribe him with 250 million and give others 50 million? Already the ones who lack history are already praising him as their hero of democracy.

Why are these characters coming out now to tell lies, it because of the famed gullibility of Nigerians and the lack of staying focused on issues that our leaders have being riding on.