NIGERIA: SENATE PRESIDENT FACES SCANDAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 002231 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA DOE FOR CAROLYN GAY E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/18/2017 TAGS: PGOV KDEM NI SUBJECT: NIGERIA: SENATE PRESIDENT FACES SCANDAL REF: A. ABUJA 2200 ¶B. ABUJA 2096 ¶C. ABUJA 1932 ¶D. ABUJA 1750 Classified By: PolCouns Walter Pflaumer for reasons 1.4. (b & d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. Senate President David Mark (PDP - Benue state, and a member of former President Obasanjo's network of influence) has alleged that an aggrieved Senator is trying to oust him by spreading rumors that he renovated his official quarters to the tune of 400 million Naira (US$3.2 million). Allegations are also circulating that he discriminated against those who did not support him in committee assignments and office allocation. Leaders of Mark's Idoma ethnic group have united behind him in self-interest, even seeking to convince the rival senatorial candidate (also an Idoma) to drop his (by all accounts excellent) case against Mark at the Benue election tribunal. The renovation allegations against Mark mirror those faced by House Speaker Etteh (see Refs A, B, C) and are certainly fueled by Etteh's possible removal. Whether Etteh and Mark remain in their leadership positions will be an important barometer of the competition for influence and relevance between President Yar'Adua and former President Obasanjo. END SUMMARY. Trouble Brews in The Senate -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Senate President David Mark has alleged that an aggrieved Senator is trying to oust him by spreading rumors that he renovated his official quarters to the tune of 400 million Naira (US$3.2 million),paralleling the charges against Speaker of the House Patricia Etteh. Mark's Special Adviser on Media and Communication Kola Ologbondiyan in an October 3 statement refrained from naming any particular individual; however, the identity leaked to the Daily Trust newspaper is that of former Benue State Governor and current Senator George Akume (PDP),who challenged Mark for the Senate Presidency but lost. (NOTE: Akume is also alleged to be a key backer of the legal challenge being mounted against Mark by All-Nigerian Peoples' Party (ANPP) senatorial candidate Alhaji Usman Dan Maishanu Abubakar, who currently has a case pending against Mark before the electoral tribunal (see below and Ref D). END NOTE.) Akume has denied charges by Mark that he has held meetings in several towns to instigate "rebellion" against him. ¶3. (SBU) According to Mark, the 400 million Naira for the most recent renovations to Apo mansion, the official residence of the Senate President, was included in the 2005 budget request by the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority (FDCA) for work undertaken in 2006, a fact allegedly verifiable by the records. Thus, he claims, it was not he who is responsible for the expenditure, nor even his predecessor Senator Ken Nnamani, but the FCDA, which owns the property. ¶4. (SBU) Mark has also dismissed allegations that he discriminated against Senators who voted against his Presidency when making committee and chairmanship assignments, as well as in office allocation in the new Senate building. Ologbondiyan released a statement saying that "the appointment into committees was evenly distributed along zonal basis and in accordance with the standing rules of the Senate." As well, Ologbondiyan maintains that office space was fairly distributed. ¶5. (SBU) Contributing to the general ire of newly-seated members of the Senate, and their focus on Mark, is a perceived 60 percent reduction in pay. Upon taking office, new Senators were granted a 4 million naira (US$32,000) lump sum housing allowance, to account for the fact that the federal government was no longer providing free accommodation to members. Mistakes were made in the subsequent three months of pay disbursements by the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC),which erroneously included a monthly housing allowance despite the payment of the lump sum. In September, senator's paychecks were reduced for the first of three consecutive pay periods to rectify the overpayment of the allowance. However, to compound the error, the RMAFC deducted double the intended amount. The resulting decrease in salary payments from 1 million ABUJA 00002231 002 OF 002 (US$8,000) to 325,000 naira (US$3,200) was seized upon by disgruntled senators who decried their purported 68 percent pay cut. Mark's supporters have accused Akume of attempting to capitalize on the mistake of the RMAFC by sending anonymous text messages to senators alleging that the deducted funds were retained for Mark's personal use. ¶6. (SBU) But Mark's troubles are not limited to those arising from within the Senate. As outlined in Ref D, the Benue election tribunal continues hearing the petition of the rival senatorial election candidate of the All-Nigeria People's Party (ANPP),Alhaji Usman Dan Maishanu Abubakar, who is seeking to overturn Mark's Senate victory. Independent observers note that Mark's electoral "victory" was based largely on "votes" obtained in districts where little if any actual voting could be found on election day. On August 25, the Idoma Traditional Council of Chiefs, the Idoma political elite and the Deputy Governor of Benue State reportedly met to "resolve the differences" between Senator Mark and his challenger. At the meeting, a 21 member "peace committee" was selected to pressure Abubakar to withdraw his petition. Several participants noted that no Idoma had ever held as influential (Comment: and potentially lucrative. End comment) an office as Senate President, the third highest ranked position in the GoN. The Och'Idoma (traditional Idoma leader) stated that, "We all know what the Idoma nation and Benue State at large stand to lose if we allow this case to continue to its logical conclusion in the tribunal. We have to find ways of appealing to Young Alhaji (Abubakar) to give room for peaceful dialogue out of court." ¶7. (SBU) Mark could also potentially face problems for breaking Nigeria's Code of Conduct which prohibits government officials from maintaining overseas bank accounts. Mark's overseas holdings were exposed in relative detail during a messy divorce from wife number five (Victoria Preye Mark), which played out in a London court. The resulting injunction froze assets totaling US$12 million in four accounts (three in the Isle of Man and one in Jersey, UK) determined to be controlled by Mark. ¶8. (C) COMMENT. Mark's accusation of a conspiracy may be a pre-emptive shot to discredit allegations he knew were forthcoming. If Obasanjo's opponents, or those in Yar'Adua's circle who wish to lessen the influence of the former President, have success against House Speaker Etteh, it will likely embolden them in taking on Mark. That said, it appears at this point that the renovation scandal surrounding him has rather less merit than the Etteh scandal. As well, the foreign account holdings are unlikely to resonate strongly with most Nigerians. Unless new evidence comes to light in the renovation scandal, the Benue tribunal is at this time the most likely scenario of the three for Mark's ouster. The controversies over Etteh and Mark are likely being allowed to play out because the removal of either or both by their peers would mark a significant reduction Obasanjo's influence, as well as a likely increase in that of Yar'Adua, and would likely make the National Assembly a more unpredictable and more lively scene of political activity. END COMMENT. PIASCIK