BLAGOJEVICH PUTS OBAMA'S SENATE SEAT ON eBAY!

President-elect Barack Obama's vacated senate seat is for sale, so says the governor of Illinois! The governor of the state of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich (pictured right) was arrested this morning for trying to sell or trade the Illinois Senate seat vacated by the president-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder - the eBay style! He wanted a pay before he can play and was caught on tape saying just that - his home phone having been bugged as well as wire-tap.

Luckily, federal prosecutors led by America's Nuhu Ribadu, U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said the investigation into allegations that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich (bluh-GOY'-uh-vich) tried to sell the Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama found no evidence that Obama did anything wrong or inappropriate.

The 76-page FBI affidavit contends that governor was intercepted on wiretaps last month conspiring to shake people down, and it alleges he even considered appointing himself if he wasn't offered anything of value. Blagojevich was arrested on Tuesday December 9th, 2008 early morning, in his pyjamas sleep-wear, on charges that he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the Senate seat left vacant by Obama to the highest bidder. An FBI affidavit says the 51-year-old Democrat was intercepted on wiretaps conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife.

Icheoku says whether this is a pattern in Illinois or a function of the reputed Chicago corrupt politics is yet to be determined, but Governor Rod Blagojevich joins the annals, as the fourth governor of Illinois who have fallen short of glory and gone to prison for corrupt practices. Governor Otto Kerner, a Democrat who was governor from 1961 to 1968, served less than a year of a three-year sentence after his 1973 conviction on bribery, tax evasion and other counts. He was convicted of arranging favorable horse racing dates as governor in return for getting horse racing association stock at reduced prices. Kerner died in 1976. Governor Dan Walker, a Democrat who was governor from 1973 to 1977, served 1 1/2 years of a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty in 1987 to bank fraud, misapplication of funds and perjury. The charges were not related to his service as governor. Governor George Ryan, a Republican who was governor from 1999 to 2003, was convicted of corruption in 2006 for steering state contracts and leases to political insiders while he was Illinois secretary of state and then governor. He is serving a 6 1/2-year prison term. Now it is Governor Rod Blagojevich who is on the block for a possible long prison term. It is not party-restricted as both Democrats and Republicans governors have been imprisoned.

Icheoku says the moral lesson of Governor Rod Blagojevich arrest is that corruption in America has consequences - you do the crime, you do the time! Unlike in some countries where criminal state officials hold sway and their anti-corruption czars are made the victims of a state sanctioned official corruption. In Nigeria, Nuhu Ribadu is being hounded for daring to confront some highly placed corrupt government officials who are deemed untouchable; but in America, Patrick Fitzgerald is meritoriously putting handcuffs on a sitting governor, immunity or no immunity, for official state corruption. Nigeria's Nuhu Ribadu's problems started after he braved it to put handcuffs on a corrupt former governor of Delta State, James Onanefe Ibori. In a highly corrupt society like Nigeria, such audacity as roping in a corrupt government official is considered sacrilege and today, Nuhu Ribadu is at the receiving end of the Nigerian brand of justice for over-stepping his bounds. America, this is the way to go for a country with a future and we must also mention that a former governor of the state of Louisiana is serving 400 years in prison for corruption. Long live the rule of law, and may God continue to bless America!