Immediate-past Senate President,
Senator David Mark (PDP Benue) has been battling with many troubles, ranging
from political to corruption and financial crime allegations since the senate
presidency slipped away from him in 2015.
Mark, who has been in the Senate
since 1999, making him the most ranking Senator in the country, found himself
as a ‘special guest’ of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
twice in a week.
He occupied the number three
citizen position, the Senate President’s seat, for eight years (2007-2015)
before the electoral misfortune of his party -the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), negated it after the 2015 elections.
Regarded as one of the most
influential politicians in the fourth Republic, the Benue-born lawmaker has
never had it this rough in his political career as since 2015, it has been from
one trouble to another.
This former military
administrator of Niger State and one-time Minister of Communication has lost his
vibrancy in the Red Chamber.
STILL BATTLING WITH THE LOSS OF THE SENATE PRESIDENCY
About 30 months into the life of
the Eighth Senate, Senator Mark is yet to fully recover from the shock of
losing his seat.
Although he did not indicate
interest in the contest for the Senate Presidency when the Senate was
inaugurated in June 2015, his fall from the coveted seat to the floor as an
ordinary member has made him a loner, keeping to himself in the chamber.
The once most powerful lawmaker
is now one of the irregular personalities at the Upper Chamber. Senator Mark
has not contributed to any debate on the floor and is not a member of any
standing committee.
Since the inauguration of the
Senate, he has only spoken once on the floor of the Senate when he led the debate
on a bill to establish the Federal University of Health Sciences Otukpo, Benue
State. He’s the sponsor of the bill which is awaiting third reading and
passage.
The Otukpo varsity bill has been
the only major contribution of the once-vibrant lawmaker in this Assembly. He
has no motion to his credit, even as he has never attended any committee
hearing or meeting.
For the first time since 1999,
the Benue lawmaker was absent for months at the Senate when his election was
nullified in late November 2015. He staged a comeback in March when he defeated
Daniel Onjeh of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
PRESIDENTIAL AMBITION THREATENED
Barring any last minute change,
Mark is said to have concluded plans to throw his hat into the ring for the
2019 presidential race under the PDP. He is one of the prominent presidential
aspirants of the PDP.
Feelers around him said the
ex-military administrator will use the occasion of his 70th birthday in April
next year to declare his intention to vie for the presidency.
A source in the National Assembly
said the date has been communicated to the key supporters of the Idoma
politician and that underground mobilization is in top gear.
“I’m aware of it. It would be
declared on his 70th birthday in Abuja and from there the campaign will
commence,” the source said.
But this much nurtured ambition
of Mark is being threatened by the return of former vice president Atiku
Abubakar into the PDP fold. It is believed that Atiku, who is considered in the
political circle as a ‘money bag politician’ possesses the machinery and
structure to manipulate the party.
The emergence of Prince Uche
Secondus as the National Chairman of the PDP against Professor Tunde Adeniran
has also altered the permutation, as it is widely believed that he (Secondus)
would work for Senator Ahmed Makarfi to clinch the presidential ticket of the
PDP.
N2bn
PDP LARGESSE TO SENATORS
Mark has a case at the EFCC over
alleged payment of N2bn into the National Assembly account by the PDP for
distribution to senators in 2010.
He appeared penultimate Friday at
the headquarters of the EFCC over the N2bn PDP largesse to senators. He was
grilled for over an hour on the alleged scandal.
Mark, in a statement by his media
aide, Paul Mumeh, confirmed his appearance before the EFCC operatives. He said
he honoured the EFCC’s invitation as a law-abiding citizen.
“Our attention has been drawn to
media reports wherein it was reported that former President of the Senate Sen.
David Mark was quizzed by EFCC over some alleged financial transactions.
“Curiously, they also alleged
that the PDP paid over N2bn into the National Assembly’s account which he, as
the then President of the Senate, allegedly shared among the 109 Senators
(including PDP, ACN, and ANPP) in 2010. Again, tao the best of his knowledge,
Sen. Mark is not aware of such transaction.
“This simply did not make sense
to any right thinking member of the society.
Senator Mark wonders why anybody would think that PDP will pay money
into the National Assembly’s account. He however clarified all the issues
raised before returning home,” he said.
OFFICIAL RESIDENCE PALAVER
More trouble giving the former
Senate President sleepless nights is the move by the Federal government to
snatch his official residence, which he acquired during former President
Goodluck Jonathan’s era. The issue became public this week.
Without mincing words, the
present administration has accused Mark of illegally acquiring his then
official residence as his private property.
In September this year, the
government, through the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the
Recovery of Public Property, chaired by Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, gave the former
Senate President a 21-day notice to quit the mansion.
Mark had gone to a Federal High
Court in Abuja, requesting that all steps taken by the panel to evict him and
recover the house from him should be quashed.
Located on 1.6 hectares of land
at 1 Musa Usman Street, (also known as No. 1 Chuba Okadigbo Street), Apo
Legislative Quarters, Gudu, Abuja, the property comprises eight structures,
made up of the main house, ADC/chief security detail’s house, guest chalet,
security/generator house, boys quarters, security post, driver/servants’
quarters and chapel.
Mark is being accused of
illegally acquiring the property with the approval of Jonathan despite that
such property was excluded from the monetisation policy of the Federal Government.
But in a statement through Mumeh,
Mark said he did not purchased his then official residence illegally.
Describing the allegation as
spurious, contrived and baseless, he said that the EFCC or any other agent of
government is chasing shadows because the property was duly offered for sale,
bid for, and he purchased like any other person would in line with Federal
Government’s Monetization Policy.
“I had the right of first
refusal. Even if I did not purchase it, someone else would have. I am a
law-abiding citizen. I did not flout any law.
“Curiously, four houses occupied
by the then presiding officers of the National Assembly were offered to the
occupants. All of us, me as the then President of the Senate, Deputy President
of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, the then Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Dimeji Bankole and his Deputy Bayero Nafada were all given the
same offer.
“I am at a loss as to why it is
now a subject of contention. If this persecution is about politics, my
political party and the 2019 elections, I dare say that only God and Nigerians
would decide. No amount of persecution would alter the will of God,” he said.
SEIZURE OF INTERNATIONAL PASSPORT
At the end of a 7-hour grilling
at the EFCC on Monday, it was reported that the international passport of
Senator Mark was seized by the anti-corruption agency before he was allowed to
go on administrative bail.
Efforts to get Mark’s reaction
through his media aide yielded no result as he said he was in a meeting when
our correspondent phoned him, and he did not reply the text message sent to
him.
Will Mark win the battle in the
face of these many troubles? Only 2019 will tell.
culled: Daily Trust
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