Duke stated that he only owed AMCON N340 million, which he said had been paid.
Donald Duke, a former governor of Cross River State, has denied a
claim by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria that he owed a
debt of N569 million.
Duke stated that he only owed AMCON N340 million, which he said had been paid.
The Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has discharged the order
granted AMCON to take over the property of Duke after he opted for an
out-of-court settlement to pay the debt.
Counsel to Duke, Edoigiawerie Uyi, told the court that his client had
shown good faith by making payment of over N350 million, which the
parties all agreed to.
However, Duke, in a statement said the AMCON blew the matter out of
control by approaching the court and claiming that he owed N569
million.
The statement said, “Recently, an obligation I had to AMCON has made
the news. Whilst I do not understand the excitement this has
generated, bearing in mind that debts far in excess of this have not
received a whisper, clearly some people are having fun at my expense.
“Nevertheless, I think it appropriate now that the issue has been laid
to rest, to state my side of the matter, considering the fervour the
story generated.
“AMCON made a claim of N569 million against me which I disputed. I
guess to arm-twist me they proceeded to court and created a media
circus. Having done what I consider their worst, I insisted on what I
believe is the correct amount. We have since agreed to this amount and
the sum of N340 million has been paid.”
The 2019 presidential candidate, however, took a jibe at his attackers
saying, “I hope this takes the wind off the sail of those who made a
mountain out of a molehill. There was nothing to be excited about
after all.”