James Ibori

James Onanefe Ibori (born 4 August 1959) is a Nigerian politician who was Governor of Delta State in Nigeria from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007.

An ethnic Urhobo by descent, Ibori is a member of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

He is a leader in the Niger Delta region and a national figure in Nigeria.

Ibori moved to London, England in the 1980s where he married his wife, Theresa.

He worked as a cashier at Wickes DIY store in Ruislip, Middlesex.

Ibori's political career began in 1990 when he joined the National Republican Convention (NRC).

In 1991, he was nominated to contest for the Federal House of Representatives seat, to represent Ethiope Federal Constituency.

He lost the election to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate.

When the Sani Abacha Transition Programme kicked off, he joined the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM).

The GDM clinched a good number of local, state and federal positions, including one of the three senatorial seats in the state.

The transition programme was abruptly terminated with the death of Abacha.

Ibori then with the leaders of other defunct political groups in Delta State, formed the Delta National Congress (DNC).

The DNC later merged with many others of like ideas to birth the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Returning to Nigeria, between 1994 and 1997 he served as a consultant to the Federal Government of President Sani Abacha, in the areas of public policy formulation and implementation.

In 1999,He Contested for Governor of Delta State.

It was on the platform of the PDP that he contested and won 9 January, 1999 Delta State gubernatorial election.

Proposed as governor of Delta State, under Nigerian law Ibori had to swear that he had no previous convictions.

Using the false birth certificate and passport that he had used for the mortgage application in London, he passed the tests falsely, and was elected to become the governor from 1999.

In 2003, he was re-elected as governor for another four-year term.

At the PDP's ruling party's pre-election convention in 2006, Ibori was present to lift up the hand of the victorious Umaru Yar'Adua.

After Yar'Adua was selected as their presidential candidate, Ibori was accused of bank-rolling Yar'Adua's 2007 campaign, and promised a Vice-Presidential position in return.

But after Yar'Adua died in office, Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan succeeded Yar'Adua, an avowed political opponent of Ibori.

Ibori's corruption charges started with filling of petitions by his kinsmen under the auspices of Delta State Elders and Stateholders Forum influenced by the foremost Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark,, who was also the former Minister of Information.

The petition was sent to Nuhu Ribadu, the head of Nigeria's financial crimes agencies who initially failed to act on the petition which made the Forum, who, with other activists, revealed Ibori's crimes and made spirited efforts to bring Ibori and EFCC before court to compel Ibori's prosecution with the aid of their lawyer Kayode Ajulo.

In 2007, the Metropolitan Police raided the London offices of barrister Bhadresh Gohil.

Hidden in a wall behind a fireplace, they found computer hard drives containing details of a myriad off-shore companies, run for Ibori by Gohil, fiduciary agent Daniel Benedict McCann, and corporate financier Lambertus De Boer.

All of these men were later jailed for a total of 30 years.

As a result of these corruption allegations, the United Kingdom courts froze Ibori's assets, valued at about £17 million ($35 million), in early August 2007.

His wife, Nkoyo, was arrested at Heathrow Airport in London on 1 November 2007, in connection with the probe of her husband's assets, particularly in the United Kingdom.

She was released after being questioned.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Ibori denied allegations against him claiming they were politically motivated.

He accused Nuhu Ribadu and the UK Courts of playing politics.

On 12 December 2007, Ibori was arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Kwara State Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.

The charges against him include theft of public funds, abuse of office, and money laundering.

These corruption charges brought against Ibori by the government of former President Obasanjo are among many allegations by anticorruption czar Nuhu Ribadu against former officials of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP.

Ribadu additionally alleged that Ibori attempted to bribe him to drop the charges with a cash gift of $15 million, which Ribadu immediately lodged in the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN.

The cash remains in the CBN as an exhibit.

On 17 December 2009, A Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State, discharged and acquitted Ibori of all 170 charges of corruption brought against him by EFCC.

In 2012, Ibori was sentenced to 13 years in prison for money laundering.

Born to the family of late Chief Ukavbe Ibori and Mrs. Comfort Oji Ibori of Otefe in Oghara clan, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, he attended Baptist High School, Oghareki, now Oghareki Grammar School, before proceeding to the University of Benin where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Statistics.