N3.145bn was transferred to the private accounts of some members of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has learned.
The funds were said to have originated from the account of the Central Bank of Nigeria and was transferred to the account of Joint Dimensions Limited, after which it was then sent to various accounts.
Punch Newspapers reports that the Director of Publicity of the organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode, received N840m on February 19, 2015. The money was reportedly deposited into his Zenith bank account, Maitama Branch with number 1004735721.
The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Olu Falae, was also said to have received N100m through Marreco Limited, a company where he serves as chairman. Falae’s money was transferred to the company’s United Bank for Africa Plc account number 1000627022 on March 25, 2014.
The report further stated that N320m was paid into the bank account of the Goodluck Support Group while a former Governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa, and a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Viola Onwuliri, got N350m in two tranches.
According to the documents, the first tranche of N150m was paid into their joint account with Zenith bank on January 13, 2015 while the second tranche of N200m was credited into their account with Diamond bank.
Furthermore, the Director of Finance of the campaign organisation, Nenadi Usman, was also reported to have received N36.9m through her Zenith bank account just as the Presidential Campaign Coordinator of President Goodluck Jonathan in Anambra State, Okey Ezenwa, got N100m.
Punch further quotes an EFCC source, who 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.”
“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.”
Meanwhile, Fani-Kayode has denied receiving money from the CBN, stressing that the funds expended on the former President’s campaign were gotten from Usman who was the director of finance of the campaign organisation.
“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.
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