The Economic and
Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) has summoned three senior officials of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over a case of alleged fraud.
In a letter addressed to Uche Secondus, PDP national
chairman, the officials were asked to be at the EFCC headquarters with some
documents over an alleged case of criminal conspiracy, abuse of office,
diversion of funds and fraud.
Amond those summoned, according to a copy of the May 17,
2021 letter, include Adamu Mustapha, national auditor; and
Austin Akobundu, national organizing secretary.
Michael Welkas, head of operations at EFCC headquarters who signed the letter, said the officials are being summoned as it has “become imperative to obtain certain clarification from your party”.
It was not immediately clear if the case being investigated
is related to the activities of the PDP or its members, but the party has been
in the limelight over allegations of financial mismanagement recently raised by
one of its leaders.
The EFCC letter read: “The Commission is investigating an
alleged case of Criminal Conspiracy, Abuse of Office, Diversion of Funds and
Fraud in which the need to obtain certain clarification from your party has
become imperative.
“In view of the above, you are requested to kindly release
the under-listed officers of your party to attend an interview with the
undersigned on the below-scheduled dates at the Economic Governance Section 2,
EFCC Headquarters, 2nd Flood, Plot 301 & 302 Institution and Research
District, Jabi, Abuja by 1000 hours.”
The officials were asked to appear on different dates, from
May 19 to 21.
“The officers should come along with relevant documents
relating to the sale of forms into the Party’s elective position from January
2017 to date.” the EFCC added.
WHAT COULD HAVE GONE WRONG?
When contacted Secondus and Kola Ologbondiyan, the party’s
spokesman, for comments but has not yet had any response.
But the PDP chairman has been under scrutiny after the
party’s audit department accused his leadership of blocking it from scrutinising
their financial transactions.
In an internal memo that was recently reported in the media,
Mustapha was quoted to have said that despite being the national auditor, he
has been denied access to the party’s financial records since 2017.
He had said: “The purpose of this alarm is to bring to the
notice of this NWC the inability of the Audit Department to perform its
functions as enshrined by the constitution and the extant laws, to illustrate
as example, the Audit Department was incapacitated by lack of access to the
necessary inputs that will enable it to discharge its duties.
“For whatever reasons, there is no access to all financial
transactions (cash inflows and outflows) documents of the party like cashbooks,
receipts. vouchers, registers cheques and bank statements etc, all of which are
necessary input or pre-audit, due process, internal control, reconciliation as
well as to draw up our Final Accounts, and all these necessary inputs are not
available to the Audit Department.
“In order for the
Audit to function there should be constant interaction and information flow
between the Audit Department and all the arms of the party, unfortunately, this
has not been the practice.”
The national auditor later told journalists after the development
was reported that the issues raised in the memo have been addressed.
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