The revelations made by the former Commissioner for Information for Anambra State Chief Joe Martins Uzodike ,who doubled at some point as Director General of Obiano Campaign Organisation in 2013, that N3.05bn of Anambra State scarce resources where given to Sir Victor Umeh for the dual purpose of running All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and as bribe to endorse the candidature of Obiano by the Obi-led Government of Anambra State should be thoroughly investigated by The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The former commissioner also confirmed what we already know, that Gov Willie Obiano doubled this money, which is curiously still being received by Umeh that is no longer the National Chairman of APGA.
Although Uzodike did not say this, the latter part of the disbursements to our knowledge is tied to a pre-election evil agreement of three signatories, revealed by Elombah.com during the governorship election, which Anambra State must never forget in a hurry.
Chief Uzodike had on a Rhythm 9.7 Radio program View Points on Saturday March 12, 2016, revealed that a total of N2.4 billion, the bulk of which was made up of N20m per month was given to Chief Umeh, then the National Chairman of APGA to run APGA, which according to Uzodike was embezzled.
Uzodike also went ahead to aver that N650 million was given by the same government in which he was commissioner and Peter Obi the governor to Sir Victor Umeh as bribe to endorse the candidature of Chief Willie Obiano as APGA candidate.
Interestingly, Umeh who called into the programme did not deny receiving these monies as alleged from Uzodike’s informed position.
Our party had on Monday issued a public statement requesting Umeh to explain these allegations of graft, in case he lost the opportunity to do so when he called into the audience-participatory radio programme and had remembered the details, all to no avail.
We are left with no option but to apply the first in a protracted set of steps aimed at recovering the total of N3.05 billion, meant to be invested in Anambra State children but mindless frittered away and used to fund the thriving corruption amid three politicians that Anambra State would need to avoid in future.
Although Uzodike mentioned the cases of extortion from APGA aspirants to the tune of N308 million, we are leaving that aspect to the concerned political party, its membership, and those exploited to deal with, while concentrating on the aspects that concerns public funds, as finitely defined in the allegations.
Consequently, we call on the Chairman of the EFCC to commence a detailed investigation to establish the extent of damage done to the economy of Anambra State, by the activity to which this stark revelation refers and recover the N3.05 billion, in the first instance, so that Anambra State can re-plough it usefully in these days of none-payment of salaries and pensions.
We also call on the Anambra State House of Assembly to commence immediately a parallel investigation on the gargantum sum that can mean so much for the life of a state that does not boast of high earning in the comity of Nigerian states.
We hereby assure the general public that as a party that desires the double-paced development of Anambra State, our eyes shall not be removed on this particular ball, until all those found culpable are thoroughly investigated and prosecuted, while the funds are returned.
We insist that all three –Peter Obi, Victor Umeh and Willie Obiano can be investigated by the law. Thereafter, those who cannot be prosecuted now under the law, keep their date with the law in future when it is appropriate to do so.
We urge Ndi Anambra , in the expression of a rising non-governmental organization (NGO) in the state to ‘unshackle their brain’ and be more watchful on the activities of those elected into office and their external and internal collaborators, and to blow the whistle whenever they need to, because political alliances are by their nature dynamic, but the interest of Anambra State is permanent.
For: ALL PROGRESSIVES CONGRESS (APC), ANAMBRA STATE CHAPTER
Okelo Madukaife
State Publicity Secretary