Why We Released Jafaru Isa-EFCC

The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has been drawn to a statement by the National Legal Adviser of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Victor Kwon, alleging compromise and political witch hunts in the release of a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Brigadier-General Jafaru Isa, (retd) by the EFCC.

 
Jafaru Isa 
 
In the statement made available to the media yesterday, Kwon alleged that: “ The release of Jafaru Isa, a known associate of the President and chieftain of the APC, eight hours after his arrest, while our Spokesman remains in detention even when the two are being investigated over the same allegation, clearly shows that the President Buhari-led APC government is not fighting corruption but using the much-hyped crusade as a cover to prosecute PDP leaders and decimate the opposition, a project the EFCC has clearly yielded itself as a willing tool”.

While the EFCC will not wish to join issues with Kwon in this regard, it is important that the public is presented with the facts regarding the release of Isa. The APC chieftain was arrested for his involvement in the arms procurement scam,  to the tune of N170,000,000( One Hundred and Seventy Million Naira). 

Upon his arrest,  the retired General admitted receiving the said sum from Dasuki and immediately refunded a total sum of N100,000, 000( One Hundred Million Naira only), with an undertaking to refund the balance of N70,000,000( Seventy Million Naira only) in two weeks. Besides, his health deteriorated after he was taken into custody. These two factors prompted the offer of bail to the suspect.

The grant of bail by the Commission does not amount to an exoneration of the suspect.

Unlike Isa, Metuh, who is exposed to the tune of N1.2Billion in the arms scandal  has shown no readiness to refund any amount of money to the EFCC, nor signed any undertaking to do so at a future date. Metuh, contrary to claims by his party, is not being detained illegally as the commission obtained a valid court order to hold him.

There is no basis for a witch-hunt of Metuh. Nigerians are assured that he will be released once he satisfies the condition for the discretion to be exercised in his favor. Until that is done, the commission will not be intimidated or stampeded by any campaign of calumny that is intended to detract it.

Kwon claimed rather ridiculously that: “We have information of the marching order from the Presidency for the immediate  release of the President’s associate  and that his issue is one of the major reasons for the repeated visits of the EFCC Chairman to the Presidential Villa within the period  of his arrest...”

This is far from the truth. No one micro manages the EFCC, not even the president. The EFCC is focussed and will remain un-deterred in its task of ridding the nation of all forms of corrupt practices.

There is no modicum of truth in allegations of selectivity, bias and witch hunt and the general public is enjoined to ignore such claims.

Wilson Uwujaren
Head, Media & Publicity
11th January, 2016

Sylva Heads To Court Over Bayelsa Governorship Election

The gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the recently concluded Bayelsa governorship election, Timipre Sylva, shifted the battle for the Bayelsa polls to the court as he vowed to challenge the results at the elections petitions tribunal.

 
APC Gubernatorial Candidate, Timipre Sylva 
 
On Monday, he assembled a legal team which will commence the process of seeking redress over the alleged irregularities immediately.

Sunday evening the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the incumbent Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson the winner.

Addressing newsmen on Monday, Mr. Sylva alleged that local representatives of INEC and the PDP worked in unison to rig the election in favor of the PDP.

He said that he had officially complained before the election that the present structure of INEC in the State could not conduct a credible election since it was originally designed to deliver Bayelsa to former President Goodluck Jonathan and the PDP in last year’s general elections.

“I said in the beginning that I do not have confidence in Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Baritoh Kpagih, and the Administrative Secretary, that I did not expect a fair treatment if these people were to preside over the election.

“I said so over and over again. I even produced it in writing and submitted a petition. Usually before elections of this nature, the INEC officials are switched. But this time, they chose to keep this team that was already in place set up by the PDP as a rigging machine.

“This was the same team that returned almost 100 percent of all votes in Bayelsa to the former President [Goodluck Jonathan]. And we felt that these people could not have given us free and fair treatment,” he noted.

Mr. Sylva maintained that the election could have been declared inconclusive given that 53,000 votes were still outstanding as cancelled votes.

According to him, in places where APC won, the results were cancelled, but where PDP won, the results were sustained.

He further alleged that the rigging started with the distribution of materials, as these materials were taken to voting centers by vehicles provided by the PDP and diverted.

According to him, the same set of collation officers, and Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) used in the December election were used during Saturday’s election; a situation he argued aided the rigging process.
Meanwhile the Director of Publicity of the PDP campaign organisation, Jonathan Obuebite issued a statement on Monday indicating that the popularity of the Party and the track record of Governor Dickson were the reasons Bayelsans re-elected him.

He noted that the result indicated that Bayelsa State is a stronghold of the PDP, adding that APC would always find it difficult to win an election in the State.

Fourteen out of the twenty political parties that fielded candidates during the Bayelsa governorship election, have urged Mr. Sylva to accept defeat.

The political parties, which endorsed the results of the poll, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the January 9 supplementary poll and called on Mr. Sylva to join forces to move the State forward.

Addressing newsmen in Yenagoa, Bayelsa chairman of Independent Democrat, (ID) Prince Elemah, flanked by State Chairmen of the other Parties, commended the efforts of INEC in the distribution of electoral materials to remote areas of the State and providing a level playing ground for all during the supplementary poll.

Political parties which endorsed the polls results are:
All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA); Democratic Peoples Party, (DPP); African Democratic Congress, (ADC); KOWA, Democratic People’s Congress, (DPC); Social Democratic Party, (SDP), African Peoples Alliance, (APA); Independent Democrats, (ID); Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, (ACPN); Peoples Party of Nigeria, (PPN); United Progressive Party, (UPP); People for Democratic Change, (PDC); New Nigeria Peoples Party, (NNPP), and Mega Progressives Peoples Party, (MPPP).

Security Operatives Found Huge Foreign Currency On Governor Olusegun Mimiko in Bayelsa State-Ondo APC Alleges

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State has alleged that a "huge sum of money in a foreign currency" was found on Governor Olusegun Mimiko by security operatives in the early hours of the Bayelsa State supplementary governorship election.

 
Governor Olusegun Mikiko
 
The Party made the allegation in a statement signed on Sunday by its Director of Publicity and Media, Steve Otaloro, the statement was issued to journalists, in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

A copy of the statement sent to SaharaReporters correspondent explained how some sections of the media, primarily their proprietors in Ondo and Bayelsa States, were bribed by Governor Mimiko's media aides to "kill the story" from going public.

In the statement, Mr. Otaloro disclosed that it was shocking and completely unacceptable that the State executive would allegedly take such a huge sum of money to campaign in Bayelsa State while the people of his State are wallowing in abject poverty.

"We have often heard such stories which we found difficult to believe until this instance that was intercepted by men of the security services.

"This, however, confirms why Dr. Mimiko is regarded as an ‘ATM Governor’ outside the State while the people he swore to serve are living in squalor and abject poverty", he said.

He noted that the administration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko would not deny such a story so as not to provoke the security operatives who caught the Governo with the money in Bayelsa State.

"The State Government neither owned up to the story nor denied it as it used to because it knew a denial might provoke a response by the security services to set the record straight.

"Ondo State APC views this mindless profligacy with grave consequences at the time when an average Ondo State citizen finds it difficult to have a decent meal per day and at a time when the State Government is owing workers two months salary.

"Besides, the State Government budget performance index has been less than 15 percent since the beginning of Governor Mimiko’s tenure,” he said.

The APC added that Governor Mimiko owes it a duty to tell the people of the State the source of the money he is squandering all over the place especially in the stupendously oil-rich Bayelsa State in which he used to prosecute the State’s supplementary election.

"At this point, Dr. Mimiko ought to concentrate on projects and services that would allow him to leave his footprint on the sand of time in terms of developmental projects as his tenure winds up rather than diverting the State resources to frivolous awards to boost his political ego," the statement read.

#DASUKIGATE: Yes, We received N100 Million From Anenih But Not From Dasuki -SDP

On Monday, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) admitted to receiving N100 million from the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Tony Anenih but not from former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki as has been speculated in the media.

This revelation was made in Abuja today by the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Dr.Abdul Ahmed Isaiq at a press briefing held at the National Headquarters of the Party.  Dr. Isaiq noted that the PDP, through Tony Anenih, contributed the sum of N100 million in order to shore up the SDP/PDP electoral alliance project.

These funds, according to Dr. Isaiq, were procured from the former Finance Minister, Olu Falae, and not from the Arms Procurement Fund (APF).

Therefore, Dr. Isaiq stated, the SDP would not refund a dime to the Federal Government (FG), as the Party did not receive any of the illicit $2.1 billion because the source which the money came from was not the APF.  He maintained that the Party is ready to take legal action to defend itself in any court of law.
Below you can find the press release in its entirety:

Our attention has been drawn to a libelous and misleading story trending in the social media and some newspapers , that the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) Chief Olu Falae GCON, OFR collected N100M (One Million Naira Only) alleged largesse said to have been immorally disbursed from Armed Procurement Fund by Colonel Sambo Dasuki, the former NSA . We are dismayed by this story and hereby wish to state as follows:

1. That the SDP was approached by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) through its BOT Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih for an electoral alliance for the re-election bid of the former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

2. That Chief Olu Falae being the National Chairman (SDP) summoned the National Executive Committee (NEC) of SDP to a well-attended meeting to consider the PDP’s proposal of Electoral Alliance for the re-election bid of former president Jonathan since SDP did not field a presidential candidate of its own.
3. That the SDP NEC debated thoroughly the electoral alliance proposal and finally gave overwhelming approval for the electoral alliance with PDP. The NEC further empowered Olu Falae to communicate the readiness of SDP to work with the PDP for the victory of former President Jonathan, but  based based on certain cardinal objective principles which must be agreed upon such as zero tolerance for corruption ,youth employment, increased capital funding allocation and acceptance of the Confab report among others.

4. That consequent upon this agreement, the PDP through Chief Tony Anenih contributed the token sum of N100m (One Million Naira Only) to the SDP/PDP electoral alliance project through Chief Olu Falae. It is to be noted that the SDP spent well above N100m for the execution of the project throughout the country during the presidential campaign and election period.

5. That the said N100 million was most transparently disbursed to our SDP field organizations, especially to areas where we had more support than PDP, and we have a full report of the transparency with which our State chapters utilized the money for the purpose it was meant.

6. That it is obvious from the above, and pertinent to state here that neither SDP nor Olu Falae was aware of Colonel Dasuki arms deal money given through Mr. Anenih. The SDP, as well as many Nigerians, were aware of the fact that the PDP had a fundraising event prior to the election where billions of naira were donated. The SDP is also conscious of the fact that the PDP are capable of funding their part of an electoral alliance with SDP. We hereby affirm that neither the SDP nor Olu Falae has anything to do with the $2.1billion Arms Deal debacle. Our alliance was not based on monetary inducement but on 6-points of cardinal objectives, which we believed could benefit the country at this crucial time.

Thank you all.

Dr.Abdul Ahmed Isaiq
National Publicity Secretary
Social Democratic Party

Switzerland Government To Transfer A Further $300 Million In Abacha Loot To Nigeria

On Monday, Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama announced that the government of Switzerland would transfer a further $300 million in recovered loot from the family of former dictator Sani Abacha.

 
Sani Abacha 
 
The funds are part of an estimated $5 billion which was stolen and then funneled into various foreign accounts by the military dictator.

It will be recalled that in December 2015 SaharaReporters published several stories concerning former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s authorization of a diversion of $300 million, taken from the loot recovered from Mr. Abacha, to the Office of the former National Security Advisor (NSA) Colonel Sambo Dasuki a few weeks before the 2015 Presidential elections.

Subsequent reports published by SaharaReporters indicated that the funds were used for a last minute media campaign for former President Goodluck Jonathan.  Since December, the scandal has taken on the name of “Dasukigate” and has led to the indictment of several high profile figures including the spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, and media mogul Raymond Dokpesi.

Foreign Exchange Crisis: CBN Lifts Ban On Cash Deposit Of Dollars, Others

The Central Bank of Nigeria has lifted a ban stopping commercial banks from accepting cash deposits of foreign exchange from customers.

 
CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele 
 
The CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, who announced the decision in Abuja on Monday, said the new directive took immediate effect.

Mr. Emefiele said the CBN would henceforth equally discontinue its sales of foreign exchange to Bureau de Change (BDC) operators, accusing them of excessive greed and rent-seeking practices.

The CBN governor explained that the BDC operators would now need to source their foreign exchange from autonomous sources.

He said to ensure that no operator violated the country’s anti-money laundering laws, the CBN would deploy more resources to closely monitor the sources of foreign exchange by the BDCs.

“These measures are not intended to be punitive on anyone or any group,” the CBN governor explained.
“Rather it is meant to ensure that the CBN is better able to carry out its mandate in an effective and efficient manner, to guarantee the preservation of our scarce commonwealth, and that our hard-earned financial system stability remain intact to the benefit of all Nigerians,” he added.

Nigeria has been hit by foreign exchange crisis amid falling oil prices.

Amongst a range of stringent measures to protect the naira and shore up the nation’s forex reserves, the CBN ordered stoppage of cash deposit of foreign currencies and also blocked use of naira debit and credit cards abroad, and transactions requiring payments in foreign currencies.

Army Captain Who Exposed Election Rigging In Ekiti Reabsorbed Into Army

The captain, it will be recalled, fled the country after he exposed the rigging of the Ekiti State election, successfully making an electronic recording of a meeting where top politicians of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigerian army strategized on how to place in office Ayo Fayose, who eventually “won” the contest.

Sagir Koli, the Nigerian army captain who put his career and life on the line when he exposed the 2014 rigging of the gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, has been reabsorbed into the Nigerian army, SaharaReporters has authoritatively learned.   

 

Capt. Koli, secretly recorded politicians rigging Ekiti State election Sahara Reporters Media
Army sources speaking with SaharaReporters also said Captain Koli, who is being praised by both peers and superiors, will receive a letter of commendation for his outstanding conduct and non-partisanship in the course of duty.

The captain, it will be recalled, fled the country after he exposed the rigging of the Ekiti State election, successfully making an electronic recording of a meeting where top politicians of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Nigerian army strategized on how to place in office Ayo Fayose, who eventually “won” the contest.

Brigadier General Aliyu Momoh, in collusion with then Minister of Defense Musiliu Obanikoro, former Osun State Senator Iyiola Omisore, former Minister for Police Affairs Jelili Adesiyan, Anambra politician Chris Uba, gubernatorial candidate Fayose, and others were caught on Captain Koli’s secret audio recording plotting to intimidate members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in order to successfully rig the gubernatorial race.

In the audio recording, which was subsequently published by SaharaReporters, Mr. Obanikoro was heard bribing General Momoh to use the military to deny APC voters access to polling stations and arrest leading opposition politicians in Ekiti State. The politicians were also recorded plotting with General Momoh about how to use their tactics in Ekiti to rig another election in Osun State.

News of Captain Koli’s reabsorption into the army follows the release of the Nigerian Army Board of Inquiry’s report where several high-ranking military officers were recommended for disciplinary proceedings.
It is unclear what other measures may be taken by the government, including possible prosecution of non-army personnel who were involved in the rigging.  It should also be recalled that the army, in the course of searching for Captain Koli, tortured his teenage younger brother, a secondary school student.