US embassy cable - 03ABUJA1864

UNCLAS ABUJA 001864 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, KDEM, NI 
SUBJECT: SENATE BRIBERY SCANDAL FOLLOW-UP 
 
 
REF: ABUJA 1728 
 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED, NOT FOR PUBLICATION ON THE 
INTERNET OR INTRANET. 
 
 
1. (SBU) On October 9, 68 members present of the 109-member 
Senate unanimously voted to drop consideration of bribery 
accusations by FCT Minister Malam El-Rufai against Deputy 
Senate President Ibrahim Mantu and Majority Leader Jonathan 
Zwingina.  The vote came after receipt of the report on the 
probe by the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges into 
the FCT Minister's allegations that Mantu and Zwingina asked 
him for a bribe to confirm him as Minister (reftel).  Only 
seven of the Senate Committee's eleven members signed the 
report; the other members were said to be "unavailable" to 
sign it. 
 
 
2. (SBU) The Committee report, published in the press, 
explicitly exonerated the 107 Senators not cited in 
El-Rufai's and others' testimony to the Committee.  Several 
Senators have since publicly claimed that this exoneration 
was proof they are not corrupt (COMMENT: a dubious 
proposition in every sense).  The Committee report noted that 
El-Rufai did not provide any documentation that the two 
Senators asked for the bribe, and therefore "in the strict, 
legal sense of proof, Malam El-Rufai did not directly prove 
his allegations."  The report also stated that 
"Circumstantially, however, there are grounds to believe that 
the allegations are probably true."  The report also noted 
that both Senators voted in favor of El-Rufai's confirmation. 
 Senator Mantu has made public claims that El-Rufai was 
trying to defame him in revenge for an earlier slight, but 
the Committee noted the cordial relationship between the 
three men and found no motive why El-Rufai would choose the 
two Senators in question unless the allegations were true. 
 
 
3. (U) Several groups and parties have already called for 
further investigation.  The Conference of Nigerian Political 
Parties has asked Vice-President Atiku about his discussions 
with the Senate leading up to the confirmation.  The AD and 
ANPP parties have petitioned the Independent Corrupt 
Practices Commission to investigate.  The Arewa Consultative 
Forum (a Northern socio-political organization) and Afenifere 
(a South-West socio-political organization) have called for 
the two Senators to step down. 
 
 
4. (SBU) Senator Mantu has commented in the press since the 
October 9 Senate vote to drop consideration of charges 
against him, but Senator Zwingina has not.  Mantu publicly 
"forgave" El-Rufai, but darkly claimed that pressure was 
placed on him by the ruling PDP party leadership not to file 
a lawsuit against El-Rufai.  El-Rufai has not made any 
further press statements.  The PDP then formally invoking a 
party gag rule on the three individuals October 16, and that 
may be the end of the issue in public.  For now. 
MEECE