Posted by By Stan Okeke, Enugu on
The battle between Chief Jeff Ukelegharanya and his mother-in-law, Chief (Mrs.) Ifeyinwa Mary Obegolu, has taken a new dimension as the former has alleged that his mother-in-law had more questions to answer, regarding her tenure as INEC Commissioner.
The battle between Chief Jeff Ukelegharanya and his mother-in-law, Chief (Mrs.) Ifeyinwa Mary Obegolu, has taken a new dimension as the former has alleged that his mother-in-law had more questions to answer, regarding her tenure as INEC Commissioner.
Daily Sun had on Monday April 4, 2005, in a story titled Man to drag mother-in-law to EFCC, said that the bone of contention between both parties had to do with a N3m loan Chief Ukelegharanya gave Chief (Mrs.) Obegolu, which the latter refused to refund, even when she was alleged to have goten her son, Barr. Emeka Obegolu, to issue a BroadBank cheque to Chief Ukelegharanya in the said amount.
Daily Sun learnt that Chief Ukelegharanya was behind Mrs. Obegolu's travails in the hands of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) as he petitioned the commission over the INEC N21m scam that involved Mrs. Obegolu. She was subsequently charged to court by ICPC, based on Chief Ukelegharanya's petition.
However, in another twist, and what seems no retreat, no surrender, Chief Ukelegharanya has again petitioned ICPC, alleging some illegal acquisition of properties by Chief (Mrs.) Obegolu during her INEC tenure, backing up his claims with supposed photographs of the said acquisitions.
A letter from ICPC to Jeff Ukelegharanya dated April 28, 2005, with reference number ICPC/P/NC/97/2005/XA and signed by one Mr. Popoola for the commission's Chairman, acknowledged receipt of Chief Ukelegharanya's petition and invited him to a meeting at Abuja. It was at this meeting that Chief Ukelegharanya with his Counsel, Barr. Chuka Machie, submitted to the commission documents and photographs to buttress his claims.
However, Chief (Mrs.) Ifeyinwa Obegolu has posited that the intentions were to discredit her and tarnish her hard earned good name simply because her daughter, Mrs. Chinwe Ukelegharanya, filed a divorce suit against the accuser.
However, Chief Ukelegharanya, in an interview with Daily Sun, said that what infuriated him was his mother-in-law's claim that she never had any business dealings with him, regarding the N3m loan he allegedly gave her, nor did she ever issue him any cheque for the said sum. 'We shall get to the root of all these, no retreat, no surrender," Chief Ukelegharanya vowed.