More startling revelations on how top leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party shared the sum of N900 million bribe to ensure the victory of former President Goodluck Jonathan last year emerged in Abuja last night.
The bribe was reportedly lavished on the party big wigs by former Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Alison Madueke, who channelled it through Fidelity Bank, whose Managing Director, Nnamdi Okonkwo, was invited along with one other officials and questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over the transaction, which the agency claimed was not reported to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
As part of its investigation into the receipt and sharing of the cash in two states of Gombe and Adamawa, the EFCC stumbled on evidence that top leaders of the PDP in the two states shared the cash among themselves and others. The two states chapter of the PDP received N450 million each but was shared by different persons at different locations and not much is known of how much of the fund was actually used by the recipients to work for the re-election of the former President.
According to records of investigation obtained by the EFCC, Senator Sa’idu Umar Kumo of Gombe State, who was the former National Secretary of All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, signed and collected N450 million campaign fund for the re-election of the former President Goodluck Jonathan. When confronted by EFCC operatives on Wednesday, Kumo, admitted that out of the N450 million which was sent to Gombe State, he received a paltry share of N2 million, which he promised to return to the EFCC to secure his own freedom. When the records of the disbursement in Adamawa State were scrutinised by EFCC operatives, it was discovered that the state chairman of the PDP, Chief Joel H. Madaki, and Ambassador Hassan Adamu (Wakili Adamawa) signed and collected the state’s share of N450 million from Fidelity Bank for onward sharing to beneficiaries in Yola. Madaki, in his statement to EFCC, admitted out of the said amount, he got only N5 million but quickly promised to refund the amount to EFCC.
But in Taraba State, the then acting governor, Sani Dandali Abubakar, who is now a senator representing the state in the National Assembly, joined hand with the speaker of the state House of Assembly, Mark Bako Useni, and the Minister from the state, Joel Ikenya, to distribute the state’s share of N450 million.
EFCC was trying to determine how much each of the trio took for themselves since they claimed they gave the amount to the local government areas of the state. They told EFCC agents that they gave N140 million (28m each) to five local government areas while N264 million ( 24 million each) went to the remaining local government areas. However, Useni admitted that he collected Takum local government’s share of N24m. Furthermore, the three politicians confessed to interrogators that they personally benefited from the fund. The former minister admitted to have taken N4 million from the bribe and quickly presented a Guarantee Trust Bank draft of N2 million with a pledge to refund the balance today. His co- suspect deposited a draft from Stanbic IBTC for one million and the balance to be paid later. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Is the public funds taken from CBN?
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