President Goodluck Jonathan has
become “very uncomfortable” with Anyim over reports that he built a 297-bed
hotel within two years of becoming SGF, TheCable was told. Anyim was appointed
in 2011. “Anyim’s relationship with the president is no longer what it used to
be,” a top member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said. An associate of
Anyim has, however, said the allegation is baseless because “nothing has been
traced” to the former senate president. He said the hotel allegation has been
flying around for a while.
“When I asked him, he laughed, saying he would be
very happy if the hotel can be gifted to him,” he said. “Nobody can say money
is missing or that Anyim has stolen anything. The allegation of corruption was
invented,” the associate said, alleging that some politicians eyeing the SGF
position were behind the allegation. “Anyim will be here till May 2015. Tell
them to wait for their time.” But party sources said the allegations against
Anyim were “weighty” and the crack in his relationship with the president was
evident at the PDP rally in Enugu in April. “Anyim was not allowed to speak. He
looked weather-beaten and isolated. He was relegated to the background. It was
obvious to everybody that he has fallen out of reckoning,” a party official said.
Anyim is the most senior south-easterner in Jonathan’s government. His office
supervises “A List” agencies such as the Niger Delta Development Commission
(NDDC) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Authority (NIMASA).
Some members of his family are allegedly getting lucrative contracts from NDDC
– one of the allegations leveled against Anyim. The Cable has been informed
that “there is a large body of evidence against him”. Anyim’s relationship with
Jonathan is also failing because “he has not served as a rallying point for the
south-east behind the president”, the party official said. “The president has
had to rely on other politicians in the region to shore up his political base.
Anyim has been divisive. There are complaints from prominent Igbo people that
they do not have access to him. They also complain that the most important
federal appointments co-ordinated by Anyim favour his home state, Ebonyi,” the
official said. TheCable sent a list of these allegations to Anyim’s spokesman,
Mr Sam Nwaobasi, as requested by him but he did not respond to text messages
and emails.
Source: The Cable