The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC explained,
yesterday, why it has not arrested former President Goodluck Jonathan
following startling revelations on how the former National Security
Adviser, NSA, Col Sambo Dasuki (retd) allegedly disbursed over $2.1
billion meant for arms purchase to various individuals.
Alarmed by the revelations, the National leadership of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, has, however, asked Dr Jonathan to speak out.
This came as the anti-graft commission disclosed that one of the
beneficiaries, the former Military Administrator of Kaduna State, Mr.
Jafaru Isah had returned N100m out of the N170m he collected and was
given administrative bail to source for the balance of N70m.
Another beneficiary, the former Secretary to the Government of the
Federation and leader of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Chief Olu
Falae however insisted that he would not refund the N100 million he
collected from Chief Tony Anenih, which was said to have come from
Dasuki.
Facts have also emerged how former Chairman of Board of Trustees, BoT
of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih and Chief Olu Falae entered into a
working relationship prior to the 2015 presidential election.
Explaining why the former president has not been arrested while
speaking with online news publishers yesterday, in Lagos, the EFCC boss,
Mr Ibrahim Magu said that no document has been traced to Jonathan
giving any approval for the disbursement of the money for any purpose
other than arms purchase.
He said that all those questioned so far in connection with the money
were people who disbursed or collected it for reasons other than the
purchase of arms and ammunition.
“All approvals by former president Jonathan did not mention that it was for political purposes.
All the memos approved by him were for the purchase of arms,” he said.
Speaking about Olisa Metuh, the EFCC boss revealed that the national
publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party said he would rather
go on hunger strike than refund the N400 million he allegedly collected
from Dasuki.
Magu also said that Patrick Akpobolokemi, a former boss of Nigerian
Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, was recently re-arrested
after new evidences of alleged embezzlement of N34.5 billion and another
N600 million were linked to him.
The EFCC chairman stressed that the war against graft was not
selective and assured Nigerians that his agency was not teleguided in
the ongoing anti-corruption fight.
According to PDP, since former President Jonathan was still alive, he
should come out and explain to Nigerians whether he authorized his
former National Security Adviser to distribute money meant to fight Boko
Haram into his campaign.
Addressing Journalists yesterday in Abuja, PDP Deputy National
Publicity Secretary Abdullahi Jalo said, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is
alive, he should clarify whether he asked the National Security Adviser
to distribute money meant to fight Boko Haram into his campaign.
According to Jalo, “Jonathan is alive, he should clarify whether he
asked the National Security Adviser to distribute money meant to fight
Boko Haram into his campaign. What is important for one to know is that
former President Goodluck Jonathan is alive. Has he ever said go and
take the money for arms meant for Boko Haram to campaign for me? Is
there anytime that Jonathan asked for anything from either Dasuki to go
and distribute this money meant for fighting Boko Haram for his
campaign?
“As you all know, no single kobo will be spent by the federal
government or former President Goodluck Jonathan without the Act of the
National Assembly. Some people however decided to divert this money to
something else.
“Darkness has now come to light, we have now discovered that it is
not only PDP members who collected the money but those in APGA
collected, Falae collected, Tanko Yakasai collected. They all collected
the money under the guise that they are campaigning for Goodluck
Jonathan.
“It is known to us that money meant for campaign are given to the
national chairmen of various political parties. We had a dinner in the
banquet hall where some billions were collected meant for campaign for
Jonathan. That money was meant for campaign. Dangote, Otedola and others
donated. So why would somebody tell us that you are taking money meant
to fight Boko Haram, which is from an Act of the National Assembly. Any
money appropriated is coming from consolidated account of the federal
government and its usage must be meant for that”.
The PDP which also disowned the embattled National Publicity
Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh who has remained detained by the officials
of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, said that as a
party, it will not fight for his bail and others who have been alleged
to be involved in the arms deal scam because they did that on personal
levels and not on the platform of the party.
According to Jalo, “the issue of bail does not have anything to do
with PDP. Let them tell us how much they have brought to PDP, to the
national chairman and the money used for campaign, we want to know from
them.
“PDP has nothing to do with individuals that used their companies to
get money. PDP has no company, it is a political platform. There is PDP
account and they did not even inform the PDP that they had received
this money, they just went and slept with their families eating eggs and
rice.”
Jalo who noted that public should not misconstrue the unfolding
issues with that of the PDP, said that individuals that were presently
involved, accessed public funds through their various private companies
and not the PDP even though they were members of the party. He added
that the Arms fund were an appropriation of the National Assembly to
which the former President and Sambo Dasuki were aware of and were aware
of the limit of using the funds other than what it was meant for.
The PDP deputy National Publicity Secretary said, “There are a lot of
outcries against our members that have been taken to court because they
received money from what we called Dasukigate or arms deal.
“The former acting National Chairman, Dr. Bello Haliru, who was taken
to court is now on bail, he has a company Pam Proper and Property
limited, he was given N600 million under a registered company of
Corporate Affairs Commission, you can find out what the contract was
meant for. Has he done what he was asked to do with the N600 million?
“Olisa Metuh’s company is Destral investment limited, he was given a
job of N400 million. What has that got to do with PDP, you can bear me
witness, when Olisa was accusing Lai Mohammed that he collected a
contract from one of the states in the West, even Lai Mohammed took him
to court, so now the hunter is now the hunted. Lai’s case has not been
proved, Olisa is under investigation.
“Let us put the record straight. We want anyone of these people that
have been accused whether in PDP, APGA or APC to come out and tell us
that the money they collected, was given to PDP or their party. When he
was given this money was he given the money to go and campaign for
Jonathan, if yes let him show us the paper, let him present an evidence,
but whoever was given this money should know that this money was not
meant for that, it was meant for arms purchase.
“Thank God the party has kept quiet deliberately, maybe, because some
have benefited. If we cannot clean the party now, the future is going
to be bleak.
“If the Legal Adviser of PDP, rushes to go and bail out Olisa Metuh
now he is doing the wrong thing, because he has to separate the party
and Olisa as an individual.
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