Saturday PUNCH revealed that governors, ministers and other political office holders were expected to submit their six-month bank statement alongside their asset declaration forms.
They will be required to appear later before CCB team in their states to present title documents of some of the assets they claim belong to them in the asset forms.
Governors rush to meet submission deadline
Outgoing and returning governors have intensified their efforts to meet Tuesday deadline for submission of their asset declaration forms.
While Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau through his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Mark Longyen, said he would meet the deadline in response to an inquiry by one of our correspondents in Jos on Friday, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, who spoke through his media aide, Anayo Chukwu, said he would do the needful before leaving office.
Ogbonnaya Ikokwu, the Chief Press Secretary to Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Mr Enyinnaya Appolos, said the governor would summit his form to the CCB before the expiration on Tuesday.
He said, “The governor is a law-abiding citizen, he has no problems with compiling with what the law says regarding the declaration of his assets. We will surely summit the form before his second term inauguration.”
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom said he had complied with the constitutional provision on asset declaration.
The Special Adviser to the governor on Media, Tahav Agerzua, disclosed this on Friday.
Senators, Reps, rush to meet deadline
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Findings by Saturday Punch showed that elected senators and House of Representatives members had started making frantic efforts to fill and submit their assets declaration forms to the Code of Conduct Bureau before the June 11 inauguration day for the Ninth Assembly.
Investigations by our correspondents during the week revealed that many of the incoming and returning federal legislators were already complying with the mandatory constitutional requirement.
Some of the new lawmakers who spoke with Saturday PUNCH said they would do everything possible to submit the documents before the day of inauguration.
It was learnt that the management of the nation’s apex legislative institution even made it easier for the incoming federal parliamentarians by procuring the forms from the CCB and distributing to them during their orientation programme held in April.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the Chairman, Forum of House of Representatives First-Time Members, Mr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, said newly-elected lawmakers had started complying with the constitutional guidelines.
He told our correspondents on Friday that his members were doing everything possible to ensure they meet up with the constitutional requirements before the day of inauguration.
Tunji-Ojo said, “We are all bound by the rules and regulations of this country as law-abiding citizens. Nobody is above the law. If anybody has nothing to hide, then he or she could come clean.
“We have to declare what we have as assets and let the government have the records. It is part of fighting corruption. We must fight corruption in a pro-active manner.”
Also reacting to the issue on behalf of the National Assembly management, the Director of Information, Rawlings Agada, said, “It is part of the decision that we took during the orientation by making the forms as part of the requirements for their registration.
“As a matter of fact, the management was proactive by going to the Code of Conduct Bureau to collect the forms and make them available to the elected lawmakers during the orientation in April.”
