Senate vows to prosecute alleged blackmailers of leader

The Senate on Friday warned faceless bloggers to desist from spreading false information aimed at portraying the legislators in a bad light, threatening to sue them.

Specifically, there have been allegations made against the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), by a group calling itself the Public Procurement Transparency Group.

The group claimed that Bamidele pressured the CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to award contracts to companies linked to him. However, these allegations have been strongly denied by both Bamidele and the REA, with the latter asserting that their procurement processes remain transparent and uncompromised.

Also, investigations have shown that the group is likely fictitious, with no real records of its existence.

The Senate, while reacting to a purported petition against its leader, Bamidele said it would no longer treat cases of cheap blackmail against it or any member of the Red Chamber with levity.

A statement by the Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Office of the Senate Leader, said the warning came following a petition supposedly addressed to the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), against the Leader of the Senate, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, CON.

The statement read: “We have noticed with grave concern diverse vicious attempts to pitch the public against the Senate, its leadership, and the National Assembly at large. The latest of such attempts was a petition supposedly addressed to the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), against the Leader of the Senate, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, CON.

“The petition, signed by the Convener of the Public Procurement Transparency Group, David Udoh, accused Senator Bamidele of intimidating and pressurising the Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Mr. Abba Abubakar Aliyu, to award contracts to some companies linked to him, contrary to the Public Procurement Act, 2007. This allegation is not only baseless but also without any evidence in support of its claims.

“Already, REA has issued a statement disputing all these vicious claims. Specifically, its management noted that it was never under any pressure to compromise the integrity of its procurement process. Rather, it always upholds transparency, fairness, and due process in all its activities, including procurement.’

“We have endured enough of all sorts of cheap blackmail by faceless groups and individuals using some bloggers and social media to feed the unsuspecting public with falsehoods and fallacies capable of causing further damage not just to the image of the National Assembly but also to the public perception of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially among the comity of nations.

“Our preliminary background checks reveal that the Public Procurement Transparency Group has no record with the Corporate Affairs Commission; its Convener, David Udoh, is faceless, and his phone contact is practically inactive and non-functional. Further checks showed that this faceless group never submitted any petition to the ICPC. Nevertheless, its sole aim was to use social media to blackmail Senator Bamidele.

“Nigeria is a federation of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, governed by the Constitution, Acts of the National Assembly, and judicial precedents. Henceforth, we shall no longer treat cases of cheap blackmail against the Senate, its leadership, and the National Assembly lightly. But we shall treat such infractions within the confines of extant laws, and whoever is found guilty in the process shall face the full wrath of the law,” it added.