Many prominent leaders of the party, New Telegraph learnt,
have become apprehensive that anyone could be implicated
and arrested as the Federal Government digs deeper into
the $2.1 billion arms purchase scandal.
A senior member of the PDP told New Telegraph that a good
number of PDP leaders are going to be affected by the arms
procurement scandal. “My brother, the situation is messy. A
lot of our members benefitted in one way or the other from
the fund meant for arms procurement. I’m afraid that the
days ahead will be tough for some senior members of the
PDP,” a source said.
Also, operatives of the EFCC have arrested Air Vice Marshal
Salihu Atawodi (rtd), former chairman, Presidential
Implementation Committee on Marine Safety. A source at
the commission told New Telegraph that AVM Atawodi was
accused of defrauding the government to the tune of over
N600 million through dubious contract to procure military
boats.
The source said he awarded the contract to one Alhaji
Rabiu’s Hypertech Nigeria Limited. The contractor was said
to have been fully paid, but the boats were never supplied.
The contract award process, according to the source,
violated the Procurement Act. AVM Atawodi, who had been
under surveillance since 2013, was quizzed for several hours
on Wednesday, after he responded to the invitation
extended to him.
“He arrived the headquarters of the Commission about
11a.m.,” a source said. EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren,
confirmed Atawodi’s presence at the Commission. He said
the ex-presidential aide is assisting the investigation. The
Department of State Services (DSS) had, on Tuesday,
arrested former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo
Dasuki (rtd), former Sokoto State governor, Attahiru
Bafarawa and Chairman of Daar Communications, Chief
Raymond Dokpesi, in connection with arms scandal.
Dokpesi, who was accused of collecting N2.1 billion, has
admitted receiving the money from the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN), but said it was meant for “publicity and media
political campaigns based on contractual obligations/
agreement.” But former Deputy National Chairman of PDP,
Chief Olabode George and Bafarawa yesterday denied
receiving any money from the controversial arms
procurement fund.
The PDP had earlier condemned Dokpesi’s arrest, and said it
has been made aware that “more notable PDP leaders have
similarly been listed for arrest over unproven allegations” as
a plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal
Government to cow and silence opposition in the country.
Party source, however, disclosed that fear has gripped some
PDP chieftains since the last round of arrests were made.
According to the source, every money collected from the
NSA office is traceable because the “person will be made to
sign for it.
The amount is stated and the purpose for which it is meant
for. So it can be traced easily,” he said. The source, who is a
member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), said he has
advised most of his colleagues to be ready for arrest
anytime. “I advised that we should be mindful how we speak
because it will look like PDP is defending corruption. Crisis is
not good for the party. The (Sambo) Dasuki issue is taking
another dimension. Before now, it was attracting some
sympathy; but the way it is going, many people are having a
rethink.
He is our member and people will think the money was used
for campaign,” the source said. It was gathered that the
issue was extensively discussed at the National Working
Committee (NWC) meeting of the party held on Wednesday.
Acting National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche
Secondus, held a close-door meeting with management staff
immediately after the NWC meeting. The meeting, a source
told New Telegraph, might not be unconnected with the
recent clamp down on some chieftains of the party by
security operatives.
But the Director, Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential
Campaign Organisation in the 2015 presidential election,
Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said the organisation has nothing to
do with the money allegedly paid to the Dokpesi from the
office of the NSA.
Fani-Kayode, who spoke with New Telegraph yesterday, said
Dokpesi was not a member of the PDP Presidential
Campaign Organisation. “As far as we are concerned, we
don’t have anything to do with the payment made to
Dokpesi for publicity.
“Dokpesi is not part of the Presidential Campaign
Organisation. We have the structure; you know the Director
General, you know the directors. We did not spend one kobo
from the public fund.
All the monies we spent were from private contributions, the
fact is there for anybody to scrutinise. Dokpesi is not part of
us, and you know this. “If he says he collected money from
somebody for something, that’s between him and the
person. I am just concerned about the way the country is
going,” Fani-Kayode stated. George has also refuted a report
by an online medium that he collected N100 million from
Dasuki, in the build-up to the 2015 general elections.
In a statement issued by his political adviser, Prince Uthman
Shodipe- Dosunmu, George said: “For the record, Chief Bode
George did not collect N100 million from Dasuki or anybody
else whatsoever.
He has never even set eyes on the former NSA throughout
his tenure in office, talk less of collecting money from him.
Dasuki, of course, is very much alive to corroborate this
position.”
Similarly, Bafarawa has said that he did not receive any
money from the embattled former security chief. A
statement issued in Abuja yesterday by one of his aides, a
former Special Adviser on Youths and Students Matters,
Alhaji Akibu Dalhatu, maintained that he has neither had
any deal with the former NSA nor collected money from him
for any purpose.
“The former governor of Sokoto state, Alhaji Attahiru
Bafarawa did not receive any money from Col. Sambo
Dasuki for any arms deal or for any purpose,” Akibu said in
the statement.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government yesterday dug deeper
into its ongoing probe of the $2.1 billion arms purchase
scandal as it employed the services of a private legal
practitioner, Oladipupo Opeseyitan (SAN) to prosecute
Dasuki (rtd) who is standing before the Federal High Court
sitting in Abuja.
Dasuki had earlier been charged to court on a fourcount
charge bothering on illegal possession of firearms and
money laundering. Dasuki is standing trial before the
Federal High Court sitting in Abuja. Opeseyitan, however,
informed the court that he had filed a motion for stay of
execution of the ruling of the court which granted Dasuki
permission to travel abroad for medical treatment.
He further applied to the court to put the ruling on hold
pending the outcome of the appeal in the matter. Dasuki’s
counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN), in his reply told the court that he
had just been served with the motion, adding that he
needed time to respond to the motion.
The court later adjourned till December 8 for hearing.
Dasuki, through his counsel, said that he did not at any point
make a statement implicating anyone or group in the
allegation of $2 billion arms purchase deal brought against
him by the Federal Government.
Dasuki was said to have made the statement to the anti-graft
agency and allegedly named some former governors of the
PDP and chieftains of the party, among others, as
accomplices in the alleged deal. Raji said his client never
made such statement or name anyone to the EFCC and
wondered where the authors got their information.
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