THE INSIDER: Showdown looms at ICPC as dissolved board members ‘stage comeback’

A showdown is imminent at the headquarters of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over alleged plans by members of the dissolved board to return to office.

President Bola Tinubu had on June 19, 2023, dissolved boards of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), including the ICPC.

However, TheCable understands that members of the dissolved board have insisted that the ICPC was not affected by the presidential directive and are set to resume duties on February 19.

Insiders said the affected board members have continued to lobby the presidency through the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) and that of the vice-president that the ICPC board should be excluded from those dissolved.

“Since 19, 2023, the staff of the commission have continued to be notified every week that they are resuming back to the commission the following week,” a source told TheCable.

“A letter purported from the office of SGF was dropped by a representative of the board members last week asking them to return back to the commission to complete their terms of office.

“Since the letter was dropped at the commission, the chairman has been under intense pressure to stop the board members from resuming work on Monday, February 19.”

Another insider informed TheCable that Aliyu Musa, chairman of the commission, has also been seeking to confirm if the board members were resuming as claimed.

“The chairman has been running around from the SGF office to the attorney-general and the chief of staff to the president to confirm the resumption of the board members,” the source said.

“The chairman prefers the board members to come in as ad-hoc board members on part-time and not full-time.

“The 12 board members are also insisting on resuming on Monday and have made demands which included the payment of their eight months salary arrears (the period they were suspended).

“Each board member earns over N2 million monthly. This implies over N24 million monthly for the period they were dissolved.

“And in eight months, the total salaries of these 12 board members is over N192 million.

“Some of the board members have also demanded the return of the cars allocated to them which were collected when the board was dissolved.

“The main issue is that the salaries of the 12 board members have not been factored into the 2024 budget of the ICPC as the board was dissolved during the preparation and defence of the budget.”

Azuka Ogugua, spokesperson of the ICPC, is yet to respond to enquiries by TheCable.

In 2000, when the commission was created by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, there were six full-time board members but ex-President Muhammadu Buhari increased the number to 12.

“Buhari made them 12 board members and is draining resources, and we have plenty of things to do with resources,” an official of the commission, who did not want to be named, said.