Posted on: 02:26 Tue, 15 Mar 2016



The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission has traced N3.145bn
transferred to the private accounts
of some members of the Peoples
Democratic Party Presidential
Campaign Organisation.

According to detectives at the EFCC,
the money emanated from the
account of the Central Bank of
Nigeria and was transferred to the
account of a company, Joint
Dimensions Limited, and then sent
to various accounts.

Authorities of the anti-graft
commission said out of the money,
the Director of Publicity of the
organisation, Chief Femi Fani-
Kayode, received N840m.

According to the documents sighted
by a Punch correspondent, the
money was deposited into Fani-
Kayode’s Zenith bank account,
Maitama Branch with number
1004735721 on February 19, 2015.

The detectives said a former
Secretary to the Government of the
Federation and National Chairman
of the Social Democratic Party,
Chief Olu Falae, received N100m
through a company, Marreco
Limited, where he is chairman. The
fund was credited into the
company’s United Bank for Africa
Plc account number 1000627022 on
March 25, 2014.

According to the documents,
N320m was also paid into the bank
account of the Goodluck Support
Group, an association which played
a major role in Jonathan’s
campaign.

A former Governor of Imo State,
Achike Udenwa, and a former
Minister of State for Foreign
Affairs, Viola Onwuliri, according
to the documents, got N350m in
two tranches. The first tranche of
N150m was paid into their joint
account with Zenith bank on
January 13, 2015. The second
tranche of N200m was credited
into their account with Diamond
bank.

A source at the anti-graft agency
who pleaded not to be named
because he is not authorised to
speak said, “The money was paid
by the Central Bank of Nigeria into
the account of the Ministry of
External Affairs Library, from
where it was moved into the
account of Joint Trust Dimension
Nigeria Limited.

“It was from the Joint Dimension’s
account with Zenith bank that the
money was shared to various
individuals and organisations for
purposes that are not stated.

“Fani-Kayode was the chief
beneficiary of the disbursement as
he allegedly received a whooping
N840m, paid in three tranches into
his Zenith bank, Maitama branch
account with number 1004735721.

“The first tranche of payment
involving N350m hit the account on
February 19, 2015. Another N250m
was also paid into the account on
February19, 2015 while N240m
was similarly credited to the
account a month later; precisely,
March 19, 2015.

“The balance in this account as of
December 31, 2015 was N189,
402.72.”

The detectives added that the
Director of Finance of the
campaign organisation, Nenadi
Usman, also got N36.9m through
her Zenith bank account with
number 1000158311 on 7, Kachia
Road, Kaduna.

Presidential Campaign Coordinator
of President Goodluck Jonathan in
Anambra State, Chief Okey Ezenwa,
who is also the brother-in-law to a
former Rivers State Governor, Chief
Peter Odili, also got N100m,
according to the source.

He added, “But as things stand, the
fact that most of the payments were
made in the weeks preceding the
last presidential elections leaves
very little to the imagination. Yet,
one knotty question that confronts
the investigators is the unknown
figure behind Joint Trust
Dimension Nigeria Limited and the
account where the money was
warehoused before being wired to
sundry beneficiaries. The shadowy
figure could help unravel the
mystery shrouding the payments,
once the veil is lifted.”

However, Fani-Kayode told our
correspondent on the telephone
that he never received money from
the CBN.

Rather, he said the monies that
were spent were received from
Usman who was the director of
finance of the campaign
organisation.

The former Minister of Aviation
said he never spent government
funds but was told by Usman that
the monies were sourced from
private donations.

He said, “I served as the director of
publicity and I was told to set up
an account for the directorate,
which I did. I never received
money from the CBN but like all the
other directors, we received money
from the director of finance.

“I was assured that the monies
were not public funds but were
sourced from private individuals. I
never knowingly spent government
money all through. The monies
were spent specifically on the
campaigns. The accounts were
audited and we were commended
by the President.”

All attempts to get Usman proved
abortive as her phone indicated
that it was switched off.

Similarly, the phone number of
Falae indicated that it was switched
off when our correspondent
attempted to reach him for
comment.

However, the former SGF had said
he received money to campaign for
Jonathan through a former
Chairman of the PDP Board of
Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih
When contacted on the telephone,
Udenwa told our correspondent
that he never received any money
as he did not even operate a Zenith
bank account.

“I don’t operate a Zenith bank
account, so, I don’t know what you
are talking about,” he said.

Punch