The anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari administration may find a renewed vigor in the coming weeks – that is – if the information available to 247ureports.com spans out to be correct. According to the information, the former governor of Anambra State under the political banner of the All progressive grand alliance (APGA),  Chief Peter Obi may be invited by the anti-graft body of Nigeria, the Economic and financial crimes commission (EFCC) over possible crimes committed while serving as the governor of the State for 8years. The invitation is same to come within the coming weeks.
According to a top source within the presidency, the EFCC is said to be on the ready to act on a petition received against the person of the former governor. The petition was received in mid-August 2016 authored by a youth group and signed by Nkem Ejiofor.  The content of the petition charged the former governor of embezzling N259billion during his 8years as the governor.
In particular, the petition charged that the gap toothed governor was carting away monthly dispatches of ungodly sums of money from the government house to his private office in Apapa, Lagos.  The monthly dispatch was reported in excess of N500million – sourced directly out of the security votes of the State. The petition indicated that the governor used the Nigeria security personnel to execute each delivery. The security personnel which comprised of DSS, police and others were used as security cover to drive the money by road to Lagos.
A source conversant with the case told 247ureports.com that the governor’s action was a clear case od money laundering via his personal business in Lagos. “It is a classic case” said the source who went to recall that Chief Peter Obi was caught in 2009 when he used his man Friday aide, Valentine Obieyem along with security personnel to dispatch the sum of N550m using government house vehicles. According to the source, Peter Obi escaped the fangs of justice – through extensive lobbying and bribery of officials at the EFCC. “But this time will be different because the EFCC of today is no longer the same as the EFCC under the madam“. The source seemed eager to have Peter Obi in EFCC custody to begin what he referred as “interrogation”.
The petition also pointed to the numerous contract awards by the Peter Obi administration at the eve of Peter Obi’s exist from the seat of governor.
The then Governor Peter Obi had awarded numerous contracts worth over N100billion with only months to go before his handover date.  Many of the contracts, as the petition states, were fictitious contracts – of which 90% of the contract sums released [paid out] to the fictitious contractors. Some of the awarded projects were not started on site before the entire sum of the contract sum was released to the contractor. The projects remained abandoned till date. Some of the other projects were altered and work specifications reduced to reflect a lower cost while the entire cost of contract released to the contractor remained the same.
The rebuilding of the former Ikenga Hotel to a mega arts and culture center with shopping centers and cinema facilities with a helipad for helicopter to land and take off – serves was an example. It designed and priced for the mentioned facilities. And the monies were released but the onsite plan was altered to affect a lower cost. The helipad was removed. The cinema was yanked along with other facilities. The same scenario played out at another major project in Onitsha shopping center.
According to available intelligence, the money raised by the Peter Obi administration towards the tail end of his administration is believed to be for the Jonathan presidential reelection campaign. A source from the presidency believes that the large sum of money donated to the Presidential campaign earned Peter Obi the grand welcome into the Peoples Democratic Party – where virtually the entire party bigwigs showed up at the Onitsha home of Peter Obi for the announcement of Peter Obi’s defection from the APGA and entrance to the PDP.  And shortly after Peter Obi’s entrance into the party, he was made the campaign director in charge of the south east and south south regions. Close to N300billion was then released for the two regions.
The petition asked the EFCC to initiate a thorough investigation into the activities of the Peter Obi administration for the entire eight years in office.


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