The members who are PDP stakeholders in Enugu West Senatorial District were reacting to a story published by SaharaReporters over a plan by some party leaders to pick a former Commissioner of Finance in the state, Peter Mbah, as governorship candidate despite being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged illegal financial dealings and misappropriation of funds.
Some members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State say the party may lose the 2023 governorship election in the state over its choice of candidate.
The members who are PDP stakeholders in Enugu West Senatorial District were reacting to a story published by SaharaReporters over a plan by some party leaders to pick a former Commissioner of Finance in the state, Peter Mbah, as governorship candidate despite being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged illegal financial dealings and misappropriation of funds.
According to Martin Okolo, leader of Enugu West Senatorial District’s PDP stakeholders, apart from Mbah, other governorship aspirants of the party have pending cases in different courts or with anti-graft agencies.
“The party was, last week, drawn to the calamity that awaits the party in Enugu state if it makes the mistake of fielding a burden candidate with a baggage of corruption. Sahara Reporters, last week, published how one of the PDP governorship aspirants, Mr. Peter Mbah, was alleged to have a cesspool of corrupt allegations hanging on him,” Okolo said in a statement shared with SaharaReporters.
“Incidentally, Mbah is not the only one among the 15 governorship aspirants cleared by the party to contest for Enugu State governorship ticket in the 2023 election. Among those who were cleared with Mbah are Prof. Bart Nnaji, Nwabueze Ugwu, Rev. Ifeanyi Nwoye, Capt. Everest Nnaji (retd.), Hon, Chijioke Edeoga, Dr. Ken Onoh, Prof. Hillary Edeoga, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, Senator Ike Ekweremmadu, Elder G.O.C. Ajah, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, Beloved Dan Anike, Senator Gil Nnaji and Engr. Everest Anike.
“The aspirants that have most conspicuous cases pending either in the courts, at the EFCC, tribunals, government gazettes, etc. include Prof Bart Nnaji, Chief Everest Nnaji, Prof. Hillary Edeoga, Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa, Senator Ike Ekweremmadu and Senator Gil Nnaji.
“Prof. Bart Nnaji: The former minister for power is in the list of 20 prominent Nigerians published by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) in 2019 as top debtors with an unserviceable loan of N25 billion.
“Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had announced that the AMCON was effective in the recovery of the debts among prominent Nigerians and had set up a special task force comprising the heads of AMCON, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and permanent secretaries of the Ministries of Justice and Transportation, and charged to recover the debts.
“Prof Nnaji and major promoters of Geometric Power Limited are seventh on the list that includes His Excellency Chimaroke Nnamani as the fifteenth (15th) on the AMCOM list of heavy debtors.
“In 2012, Prof Nnaji resigned as the Minister for Power under President Goodluck Jonathan. He was accused of conflict of interests in his job and the use of his companies to ‘corner’ (gain) ownership of the unbundled sectors of power generation and distribution. The then PDP National Chairman, Adamu Mauzu petitioned that he suspected Nnaji owned proxy interests in some of the new independent power plants (IPPs) ‘hurriedly put together to benefit from Power Purchase Agreement (PPAs) even though such companies have not met the expected milestone that will put them in the position to generate electricity.’
“Earlier than his resignation, the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) under Joe Ajaero as National Secretary, called on Prof Nnaji to resign over alleged unaccountability of funds, nepotism and high handedness on the electricity workers.
“Capt. Everest Nnaji: Recently inaugurated a 5.4 km road he executed in his community. He hails from the same Nkanu East local government area, same as Peter Mba and Prof Bart Nnaji. He is a pilot and owns an Air-shuttle Service company. His matter is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before an Ikeja Special Offences Court, which came up on April 2, 2019, before Justice Mojisola Dada who lamented that (there) were applications to stall the trial.
“Capt. Nnaji and another suspect, Victor Uadiale, were charged with five counts bordering on conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences and obtaining $4.8 million by false pretences from a Kuwaiti national, Mr. Tawfeeq Al-Omar in 1997 and 1998. In June 2021, the (EFCC) presented more graphic evidence against the accused persons including Nnaji.
“Prof Hillary Edeoga: Former Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, in July 2009 removed from office, Edeoga, who was his Commissioner for Agriculture, over alleged complicity in the foiled plot to divert nine trucks of fertilizer allocated to the state.
“Chime asked Edeoga to go after a meeting of the State Executive Council (SEC) at Government House in Enugu. He later became the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia state, where he was also accused of academic fraud, financial embezzlement and administrative impunity by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASSU), Owerri zone.
“Gil Nnaji The former Senator that represented Enugu east senatorial zone was accused of making himself an accessory to the allegation of forgery of Senate standing rules in 2015 by asking the Federal High Court to stop the investigation of Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu. He was also accused of diverting electricity transformers meant for his constituency.
“Ike Ekweremadu: In 2018, the EFCC detained Ekweremadu for alleged fraud and failing to explain how he came to own 22 properties in Nigeria, the United States, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates.
“He was under investigation for allegedly owning about the 22 properties some of which he failed to declare in his Asset Declaration Form at the Code of Conduct Bureau. The Federal Government sought an interim order of the Federal High Court, Abuja, to temporarily seize the 22 prime properties/assets located in London, Dubai, Florida, and Abuja, that were allegedly not declared before the CCB.
“The motion ex-parte filed by Festus Keyamo (SAN) on behalf of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel for the Recovery of Public Property was brought before the court pursuant to Section 330 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015; Section 8 Of the Recovery Of Public Property (Special Provisions) Act and Section 44 (2)(K) of the 1999 Constitution.
“In an affidavit deposed to in support of the motion ex-parte by Yohanna Shankuk, a litigation clerk in Festus Keyamo Chambers, he stated that from 1999 till date, Ekweremadu had been a public officer and had not earned anything outside his salaries and allowances as a public officer.
“He, therefore, wondered where the lawmaker got the money to acquire such properties. The undeclared assets were identified as 11 Evans Enwerem Street, Apo Legislative Quarters, Apo, Abuja; Plot 2633 Kyami, Abuja; Housing Estate; Plot 1106 CRD, Cadastral Zone 07-07, Lugbe, Abuja; Plot 2782, Asokoro Extension, Abuja; houses at Citi Park Estate, Gwagwalada, Abuja and Plot 1474, Cadastral Zone BD6, Mabushi, Abuja.
“Sir Chinyeaka Ohaa: The retired federal Permanent Secretary was arrested by the EFCC alongside Chimaroke Nnamani in 2007 for sleaze during the Nnamani governorship of Enugu state when he was the Accountant General of the state. Former Senate President, Chief Ken Nnamani, in a recent open confession, narrated how he prevailed on the former chairman of EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu to drop corruption charges against Ohaa.
“Nnamani said and I quote, ‘While I was in office, he (Ohaa) had difficulties when he served at the state level. He was tossed around; they were going to stand for charges in various courts of the land. I ensured that he did not continue with that harassment. And that helped him to continue till he retired because when I reached Nuhu Ribadu, he was in my house and Chinyeaka was there too. I invited both parties so that we looked at the matter properly to know what really happened. Chinyeaka was made a witness in the matter. So, he didn’t have to go further because if he had gone further if the matter had gone further, he will not be where he went to before he retired.”
“Even the Enugu godfather, Chimaroke Nnamani, who is promoting aspirants such as Peter Mbah is himself not free from the baggage of fraud trial. In his trial by the EFCC, only his companies were convicted while his personal corruption charges are still ongoing. It is for this reason that Nnamani in his attempt to recover the properties that are making him sponsor the likes of Peter Mbah for the governorship of Enugu state. Chimaroke is alleged to be selling off most of his properties in Enugu, Abuja and other parts of Nigeria.
“It is in the light of the above that the PDP is warned to be wary of picking a compromised candidate in the state since it is obvious that most aspirants of the PDP that hail from ‘favoured’ council areas are not free from making the PDP lose Enugu state to a rival party.
"It is in this light that stakeholders in Enugu state are worried that that PDP may lose the entire South East with the Abia state controversy over its choice of governorship candidate that the Abia State governor is accused of planning to fail for a preferred All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant. Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi is urged to save the PDP from complete extinction in the South East by refraining from recycling baggage aspirants."