NIGERIA: Bizman Steps Out To Claim Ibori's $15m Slush Money

The controversy surrounding the $15m bribe that former Delta state governor James Ibori gave to Nuhu Ribadu, the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, assumed a bizarre turn as a chieftain of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and self acclaimed oil magnate, Chief Chibuike Achigbu, claimed ownership of the money.

Achigbu, in an application filed on his behalf by ten lawyers, three of whom were Senior Advocates of Nigeria, claimed ownership of the money. He said that he gave the money to Senator Andy Uba, who was then the Domestic Aide to former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the purpose of financing the Peoples Democratic Party during the 2007 general elections.

In the affidavit deposed to by Achigbo in support of his application, he stated that he first sought legal advice on whether he could raise money to support the PDP and its candidates throughout the federation for the purpose of winning the 2007 general elections.

According to the him, by April 2007 when the election had drawn near, he had raised money in excess of N2 billion after which he realized that such donations could only be made and accepted through a financial institution.

He further stated that in order to legitimately apply the funds, that he approached Andy Uba to contact relevant agencies of government to investigate and certify that the funds were raised honestly and in good faith with a view to donating same to finance PDP.

He stated that Uba advised him to deliver the fund to him (Uba) for onward transmission to the anti graft agency being the agency of the Federal Government sufficiently equipped to give a clean of legitimacy to the fund before it could be donated to PDP.

The three senior advocates of Nigeria hired by Chief Achigbu to represent him in the matter are Chief Adeniyi Akintola, Mr. Okey Amaechi and Mr. Abiodun Owonikoko.

Achigbu said that after he had delivered the money to Uba, that he heard rumours about an attempt by Ibori to bribe the chairman of the EFCC but that the rumour did not strike him as having any bearing with the fund he delivered to Uba for clearance by EFCC.

He further explained that due to the political ambition of Andy Uba to become the governor of Anambra State, he lost contact with him and was not able to reach him to ask for an update regarding the fund.

“It was not until several months after Uba’s election was voided at the Supreme Court that I succeeded in making contact with him. He, in a telephone conversation I 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 however said that he did not believe Uba and suspected that he (Uba) had diverted the money to fund his electioneering expenses when he was campaigning for governor of Anambra State but chose not to pursue the case any further because 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.’

The self proclaimed oil magnate who claimed to have become estranged with Uba further stated that on the night of August 27, 2012, that he received a call from Uba informing him about the latest development concerning the $15 million and that the money 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 and now chairman of the anti graft agency, that was superficially instructed to receive the money from him (Uba) on April 25th, 2007.
Achigbu further stated that Uba had also agreed to depose to an affidavit to own up to the facts deposed to in his application.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of this latest application which is coming closely behind a related one seeking that the said fund be returned to the Delta state treasury which the same court struck out earlier same day following the submission of the Delta state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr. Charles Ajuya, also a senior advocate of Nigeria denying issuing any authorization to the plaintiff, Mr. Timipa Okponipere, to institute the case.

The stage is apparently being set by interested parties to lay their hands on the slush money.

SOURCE: NNAMDI FELIX, ABUJA/P.M. NEWS NIGERIA