By Gabriel Atumeyi
365Daily – Former Edo State Commissioner for Information and Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Kassim Afegbua, has vowed to pursue his allegations against the leadership of the PDP to a logical concluusion.
Afegbua, on Monday, 26 April, 2021, petitioned the country’s anti-corruption agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), over an alleged diversion of ten billion naira generated from the sale of forms for four years by the Chairman of the party, Uche Secondus, and the National Working Committee (NWC).
According to Afegbua, the party leadership fraudulently diverted and laundered funds that accrued from the sale of nomination forms for the Presidential, Gubernatorial, House of Assembly and National Assembly elections from 2017 to date.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, 28 April, 2021, in Abuja, Afegbua said the opposition party has failed to align itself with the people and articulate yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.
He said the leadership of the PDP has constituted itself into a self serving body which acts as it pleases, while reneging on its mandate and disappointing the Nigerian masses at a time when there is a dire need of the opposition.
According to Afegbua, it was the state of things in the party that has led to notable defections from the party at a time when most Nigerians were disenchanted with the ruling party.
He added that the defections of Gbenga Daniel, Dimeji Bankole and Yakubu Dogara were pointers that stakeholders are dissatisfied with the way the party was being administered. Afegbua also said it was due to the poor management of the party by the leadership that the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, referred to them as tax collectors in 2020.
The ex-Commissioner said :”Since Monday, 26 April, when I submitted a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), I have been inundated with several telephone calls by party chieftains, pundits and lackeys alike in mixed grill. While majority of those callers are commending my bold resolve at ensuring transparency of the finances of the Peoples Democratic Party, a handful of others have tried to intimidate me with threats alarm.
“Let me be clear, my position remains the same. Despite denials by the party’s publicist, I still stand on my initial figure of N10 billion being money generated from sales of forms for Presidential, Gubernatorial, Senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly elections in 2019, as well as donations. For saying that the party realised N4.6b as opposed to N10b means that we are making progress.
“Aside from the open threat by one Kola Ologbondiyan during my appearance on AIT’s Democracy Today programme on Tuesday, 20th April, where he stated that he will deal with me, I have also been receiving threat calls from unknown persons. I have respectfully instructed my Lawyers, Kayode Ajulo & Co. Castle of Law, to petition the IG of Police on this very serious threat, especially in a country that is replete with murder, assassination and blood-letting. I will not submit to blackmail, intimidation, harassment for whatever purpose.’
“The leadership only needs to volunteer to the EFCC and ICPC such information, once the investigation begins, to assist the agencies to arrive at a holistic conclusion. I am calling on the EFCC and ICPC to take judicious note on the following account numbers and companies, which were allegedly used as conduit to launder money against the run of play. They are Morufu Nigeria Limited, Retrobox Nigeria Limited with GTBank account number: 0019723825 and Abdullahi Kabiru with UBA account number 2065267084.
“I still stand by my claim of almost N10b naira, being monies that accrued to the party and never passed through the designated bank accounts of the party. The content of my petition is very clear and unambiguous. We must continue to strive for an egalitarian society where citizens retain the inalienable right to interrogate their leaders and other processes leading to certain outcomes. It is my considered position that the leadership of the PDP has flouted the provisions of the Money Laundering Act. Any money beyond the threshold of N10m naira, ought to be paid or transacted through bank account of the party and not through private accounts of cronies and persons who were dubiously recruited as consultants and acting for and on behalf of the PDP. This is a flagrant violation of existing laws of the land.
“The present effort will help invest a vista of hope in trying to redefine, reposition and refocus the party as a veritable and viable opposition that is ready to confront the challenges facing the country. The apparent slumbering of the party leadership, from inertia to incapacity, in the face of crippling policy flip-flops of the present government, presents an intolerable vacuum that must be condemned by all. Let me add that I am still a bonafide member of PDP.”
The PDP had earlier responded to the allegation in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, It described the claim as “spurious” and “irresponsible”.
Ologbondiyan said: “The PDP did not raise Afegbua’s fictitious sum of N10 billion as alleged by him. For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP generated the sum of N4.6 billion and raised a budget for its expenditure, in line with all known financial regulations of our party.
“This budget passed through the organs of our party and received the approvals from the NWC, the Governors’ Forum, the Board of Trustees, as well as other organs of the party.
“As a law-abiding political party that respects the doctrine of rule of law and transparency, the budget was presented to the National Executive Committee (NEC) where it also received a final approval,” the party stated.