.... Say Money Was Meant To Finance The PDP's 2007 Presidential Elections
Senator Andy Uba and Chibuike Achigbu, two principal players in the $15 million dollars exchange between Nuhu Ribadu and Chief James Ibori have finally come out to claim ownership of the funds signaling a new twist to the phoney bribery tale being peddled by Mr. Ribadu, a former Chairman of the EFCC.
Chibuike and Uba have approached the same federal high court sitting in Abuja to claim ownership of the funds just like the Delta State Government, which maintained that the funds were taken from Delta treasury by convicted former governor Chief James Ibori.
The EFCC had gone to court to obtain an order to confiscate the funds, which Mr. Ribadu wrongfully claimed was offered as bribe to him by Chief Ibori to stall his prosecution for corruption.
THEWILL had repeatedly reported that the funds handed to Ribadu was not a bribe but a political arrangement between Ribadu, Ibori and Obasanjo.
The duo said the funds were handed to Ribadu to finance the 2007 Presidential elections for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Update:
Ten lawyers, among whom were three Senior Advocates of Nigeria — Adeniyi Akintola, Okey Amaechi and Abiodun Owonikoko — filed the application on behalf of Chibuike Achigbu, who claimed that he gave the money to Dr. Andy Uba, a former aide to erstwhile president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to boost the finance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2007 general elections.
Also on Wednesday, Justice Gladys Olotu cancelled the name of Mr. Timipa Okponipere from the list of those contesting to determine the destination of the money, after Delta State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Charles Ajuya (SAN) denied authorising Okponipere to file any case on behalf of the state. The matter was adjourned to 15th September for all parties to file their claims.
In the application, Achigbu stated that he first sought legal advice on the possibility of donating to support PDP’s candidates all over the country prior to the 2007 general elections. The set target, he revealed, was N3billion, which was to be raised in conjunction with his associates.
He claimed to have raised over N2billion by April, very close to the election, only to realise that such donation could only be made through a financial institution. In order to legitimately apply the fund, he approached Andy Uba so that relevant government agencies could certify that the money was legitimately raised to support the party. He said Uba agreed to forward the money to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“Andy Uba was a special assistant in the Presidency, who offered to take custody of the fund with a view to inviting EFCC to carry out the audit and certification before being donated to the PDP,” he claimed in an affidavit he filed in support of the application.
Achigbu said that after he had delivered the money to Uba, there were rumours about an attempt by Ibori to bribe the chairman of the EFCC. He said that he had nothing to do with Ibori so the rumour left him with no suspicious impression, adding that he lost contact with Uba for long, owing to his failed governorship ambition in Anambra State
“That it was not until several months after Uba’s election was voided at the Supreme Court that he succeeded in making contact with him,” he claimed.
“That Uba, in a telephone conversation he had with him sometimes in the early part of the year 2008, confirmed that, as agreed, he did invite the EFCC to take custody of the purported unclaimed fund and revert on their investigations about its suitability for the purpose that the fund was intended.”
Achigbu said he did not believe Uba and suspected that he had diverted the money to fund his Anambra State Governorship campaign. He said he chose not to pursue Uba any further for the funds as he “took the view that God had sufficiently avenged Uba’s betrayal when his election funded with the money was voided by the Supreme Court less than a month into his tenure in June 2007.” He added that his relationship with Uba had gone south.
As he claimed, he received a call on 27th August 2012 from Uba informing him that the $15 million in question was the same money he collected from him, that Uba specifically confirmed to him that it was Ibrahim Lamorde, the then director of operations of EFCC, who was instructed to receive the money from him (Uba) on 25th April 2007.
Ibrahim Lamorde is the current Chairman of the EFCC.
It will be recalled that the Delta State government had asked the Federal Government for the nod to take possession of the $15 million, with Charles Ajuyah (SAN), its attorney general and commissioner for justice asking for an order compelling the alleged bribe to be paid to the state.
In a similar application filed on behalf of the state, a lawyer, Timipa Okponipere asked that the $15 million be paid to the Government and people of Delta State.
He asked the court to declare that as of 25th April 2007 when James Ibori allegedly offered the bribe to the EFCC, Ibori was still the governor of Delta State with all rights and privileges attached to the office.
He urged the court to hold that any application or order granting the money to any other entity other than the Government and people of Delta State would be illegal and of no effect.
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