Politics
BOMBSHELL: Achimugu, Atiku’s nemesis exposes how Okowa bought VP with $5million
A fresh can of worms has been opened by Michael Achimugu, the whistleblower at the root of the current credibility crisis being faced by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the February 25 election, with a revelation that Ifeanyi Okowa, the running mate is also has his hands soiled in the corruption pie.
Achimugu, who alerted Nigerians about how Atiku, as Vice President under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, opened a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), through which they pillaged the Nigerian common purse through shady contracts, revealed in a fresh video, part of the series he promised the public, how Okowa, currently the Delta State Governor, paid $5million, more than N5billion, to a retired top General in the Nigerian Army, with which he practically bought the position of Atiku’s running mate.
As in the case of Atiku, where he provided audio evidence of the conversation, where the former VP, seemed to have confirmed the corruption deals, he also provided an audio conversation he had with a top aide of the PDP flagbearer, who gave insight into how armed with the money, the General went to work, to seal the deal.
In making Okowa his choice, Atiku had dumped Nyesom Wike, Governor of Rivers State, favoured by the selection committee raised by the former VP in the PDP to help him in selecting the suitable candidate as the running mate, a development, which did not go well with some prominent and ordinary members of the party.
Though Wike had since dismissed the suggestion of being unhappy with the decision, he has since led a rebellion, through a body known as G-5 Integrity Group, consisting five governors of the party and some other prominent members, who had sworn that they would not support Atiku’s presidential campaigns as long as Iyorchia Ayu, remained the National Chairman of the party, on the ground that it was against the spirit and letters of the PDP constitution for the positions of the presidential candidate and party chairman to come from the same section of the country.
In the video, where he explained that Atiku’s problem with Wike did not start in the PDP primaries, where the former VP beat the governor to a second position to pick the party’s ticket, Achimugu, narrated how in 2020 during the COVID-19 restrictions, he had a conversation with his boss, via email, where the former told him that because Wike would not afford to compete, due to the fact that he would need to save some money to live a good life later, he would literally “be a lame duck” in 2022.
“There was nothing Wike could have done that would sit well with Atiku, especially as Atiku’s cabal feared that Wike’s strong personality would be a problem for them if they want to control him. And sure, they would want to control him, after all, they do have control over their own master.
“Now, you’re going to like this. Governor Okowa of Delta State is Atiku’s running mate. Prince Olatunji Olusoji, is Okowa’s Senior Adviser on Special Duties. He’s a party-loving man and spent his money on Atiku’s campaign. You can see from his WhatsAPP chart and phone conversations with me that he does not want Atiku and Okowa to win. He uses very strong words like ‘Okowa must perish.’ He describes Atiku as desperate, a betrayer and deceitful.
“Prince Olatunji is angry about the looting of the resources of Delta State to fund Atiku’s desperation. He goes on to accept that Governor Okowa, his employer, paid a bribe of $5million to a certain General Gusau, who along with the PDP Chairman, Ayu, went around to meet some notable people in Nigeria to make sure that Okowa, rather than Governor Wike emerged as the VP candidate of the party.”
Achimugu, therefore urged his audience to: “Listen carefully to his words, read carefully his messages and understand the true state of mind of genuine Atiku followers and supporters, who are still within that system. Olusoji is not an ex-aide or a former aide like myself. He is a currently serving aide, who is angry about injustice, about corruption and the likes. Will you also accuse him of having collected N200million from some other opponents? Will he be called a blackmailer as well? Listen to the genuineness of his anger and understand the true state of mind of a lot of Atiku supporters and aides, whose testimonies I’ll also be putting out in the sequel to this episode.”
Hear the conversation:
Olatunji: Atiku self no get money again
Achimugu: Does he have the kind money to contest election now?
Olatunji: He does not have money to run this election. He’s broke!
Achimugu:But why Atiku go defect again? Who are Atiku’s advisers?
Olatunji: Na Okowa and Ayu na him mislead am. Okowa and Ayu, especially Ayu. Okowa is using Ayu to do the damage.
Achimugu: But the damage will be for all of them now! The entire party loses, no be all of them lose?
Olatunji: You know what happened, before the primaries, Okowa and Ayu went round. Na Ayu carry Okowa, Okowa went to give General Gusau $5million.
Achimugu: Wow!
Olatunju: So General Gusau went to work on IBB
Achimugu: Okay!
Olatunji: IBB and Gusau were the ones who imposed Okowa on Atiku. You no see as Wike disgrace Atiku?
Achimugu: Yes now!
Olatunji: I support Wike o! I stand with Wike!
Achimugu: I stand with Wike!
Olatunji: You know say Atiku de lie. He exposed Atiku the way Atiku de lie. He finished Atiku
Achimugu: Yes now!
Olatunji: Atiku knows about the plot, he was just going to deceive Wike. Now, Wike don disgrace am for public now.
Achimugu: You see your governor, don carry Delta State enter debt, I hear say e collect loan of N140billion over Atiku matter?
Olatunji: Ahh! The total debt wey e don collect na almost N250billion
Achimugu: Jesus!
Olatunji: Almost N250billion e don collect over this Atiku matter
Achimugu: Hmm!
Olatunji: We e want take sponsor Atiku
Achimugu: Atiku self no get money again?
Olatunji: Does he have the kind of money we dey take contest election?
Achimugu? How does Nigeria get better. Like you rightly said in your message to me the other time, you said Atiku will not appoint people based on competence because he has made promises to different people!
Olatunji: Of course!
Achimugu: So, how’s he going to make the country work? How
Olatunji: Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere.
Achimugu: I won’t lie to you, I don’t see you people winning this election o!
Olatunji: Dem de look for money wey dem want to use live life. Na dem papa money dem want to use extort people.
Achimugu: Na waa o! yes!
Olatunji: Craze people. Their story full everywhere o
Achimugu: Kai! Dam puru ba!
Olatunji: Their story full everywhere for town! Their story full everywhere for Abuja. People don know dem!
Olatunji: Still dem wan extort people, use dem papa election take make money!
Justice Usman Mallam Na’Abba, of the Kano State High Court, on Monday, reversed himself five days after making an order barring Abdullahi Ganduje National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), from parading himself or performing any official function in that capacity.
In vacating the order made ex-parte, following a plea by Haladu Gwanjo and Laminu Sani Barguma, who claimed to be the Chairman and Secretary of the APC Ganduje Ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government area of the state, for the suspension of the former Governor of the state from his present job, Na’Abba said he relied on fresh arguments made on the matter.
The fresh applications were brought by Glory Adah, a litigation secretary at the law firm representing the APC boss in a motion ex-parte, accompanied by a 27-paragraph affidavit in support, and a written address dated April 22nd, countering the grounds of his previous orders.
Na’Abba, who adjourned the case to April 30 for the hearing, said: “An order of interim injunction is hereby granted staying the execution of the order of interim injunction contained in the ruling of this court delivered on 17h April 2024 directing parties to maintain status quo ante as at the 15th day of April 2024 in relation to the suspension of the 4th respondent/applicant from the 1st respondent by the Ganduje Ward Executive Committee pending the hearing and determination of the 4th respondent/applicant motion on notice.”
There is no valid order stripping Abdullahi Ganduje of his position of National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), known to the party and therefore, he will continue his duties as prescribed, the National Working Committee (NWC), has insisted, debunking that he is no longer a member of the party by the orders of the courts.
Felix Morka, spokesman of the party, who made this declaration on Wednesday, on Arise Television, maintained that neither Ganduje himself nor the party, was served with the orders, said to have been obtained against the party boss by his ward in Kano State, where he served as a two-term governor between 2015 and 2023.
Insisting that Ganduje’s position remained intact, explained that the ruling party would disregard the said court order affirming Ganduje’s suspension as APC national chairman and only honour the recent Kano Federal High Court ruling ordering a stay of the order.
The declaration is coming on a day Justice AM Liman of the Federal High Court, Abuja overturned the said suspension of Ganduje by his ward executives in Dawakin Tofa Local Government area of Kano State.
The party boss, had obtained the ruling through another ex-parte motion in which he sought to enforce his fundamental right to a fair hearing, in a suit, in which he also joined the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Department of State Services (DSS ), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and nine other individuals.
Morka told his hosts: “The order issued by the first court was very disturbing, for some reasons. First, the plaintiffs who purportedly filed that action are not recognised members of our party and therefore shouldn’t have the locus standi to invoke the authority of the court to make any such order.
“Secondly, every lawyer in this country is aware that from the Supreme Court up to the NJC, there is this cautiousness that judges don’t make orders that are far-reaching in effect on an ex parte motion or application”
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), did his best to resolve the crisis in the party, but his suggestions for lasting peace was ignored by the National Chairman, Julius Abure.
This much was revealed by Yinusa Tanko, Chief Spokesman for the Obi-Datti Campaign Organisation, who made the revelation, said that the current crisis rocking the party, could have been prevented if the leadership had taken the advice of the former Governor of Anambra State.
A guest on The Morning Brief, a breakfast programme on Channels television, on Monday, the former campaign spokesman, said: “His Excellency, Peter Obi, has made a concerted effort in trying to intervene at any point we have this particular issue and trying to improve.
“When the issue of the national convention came up, he (Obi) suggested to the national chairman that because we are bigger now, we need to have a wider consultation: meet with responsible and interested people such as the TUC and NLC, stakeholders, the Obidient group – young generation people who are interested in seeing Nigeria work – meet with leaders who have different ideas that can midwife us into a greater height.
“All of these were the suggestions that he (Obi) made, and not only did he make those suggestions, he practicalised them because he met with the members of the National Assembly. He (Obi) met with the leadership of the party recently in Asaba trying to give them ideas on how he thinks certain things could be done and you could improve our situation but of course, you know how politics is, sometimes, people may be trying to encourage people, but they do something different.
“You can only take a horse to the river, but you cannot force it to drink water. So that’s exactly what Peter Obi has done. He has done so greatly to see if we can find a solution to some of the problems we find ourselves.”
Tanko, who argued that Abure had the right to contest the national chairmanship position again, it was only proper that the right things are done by opening the door for more people to be part of the process, noted however that the party boss went outside an initial agreement to have an all-inclusive national convention which ought to start from the ward, local government and state levels before the national level.
He said that the convention held in Nnewi Anambra State that returned Abure as the party’s leader did not conform with that agreement and therefore was not acceptable to everyone within the party.
Asked if the crisis in the party could be a problem for Obi in the next election, Tanko said Obi is a brand of his own and that he and other people would always move with him wherever he went to.
At the convention of the Labour Party held on March 27 in Nnewi, Abure was re-elected as the National Chairman for a second term by a unanimous affirmation of delegates despite strong opposition by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC). The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had also said none of its officials monitored the convention while the party’s Board of Trustees insisted that Abure’s tenure had expired.
Before the controversial convention, the NLC called for Abure’s resignation as party chairman and the immediate constitution of a caretaker transition committee to organise a legitimate and all-inclusive national convention for the party.
FG approves Abuja-London route for Air Peace, reviews BASA pact with UK
Ibom Air orders 10 new aircrafts for domestic operations
N107billion: Anti-corruption group demands Otti’s Forensic Audit Report against Ikpeazu
BREAKING: Supreme Court on fire! Judges’ offices razed days after Atiku, Obi’s appeal!
Soyinka, Obi, Tinubu: When repayment of mafia debt is inescapable
In the military, INEC boss and his team would be executed – Bode George *Why put Tinubu’s boy in charge of IT?
-
News2 weeks agoBREAKING: We regret calling female lawyer a liar, but no apologies – Dunamis
-
News3 days agoBREAKING: Dana Air plane crashlands in Lagos
-
News2 weeks agoBREAKING: Bobrisky, ‘Mummy of Lagos’ finally dumps sisterhood, confirms ‘I’m a man’
-
News3 weeks agoNew tariff: Don’t let it spread to the poor, let the rich pay – Obi
-
Editorial3 weeks agoEdo impeachment: Sad ending for ‘Emperor’ Obaseki
-
Editorial3 weeks ago
Allen Onyema: Upping the ante of patriotism
-
News1 week agoBREAKING: You can’t try me, Cubana Chief Priest tells EFCC *Gets N10million bail
-
News4 weeks agoLondon flights: Air Peace cry of frustration *Airport officials asked plane to park ‘in the bush’ – Onyema