Second Republic governor of the Old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo has denied ever receiving any money from the Office of the National Security Adviser, ONSA.
Nwobodo in a statement made available to journalists on Monday nevertheless admitted knowledge of a N500 million campaign package from the immediate past national chairman of the Peoples Democratic, PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu‘azu given to the five Southeast states ahead of the last elections.
Nwobodo who is currently abroad on a medical spoke in response to reported claims by former minister of state for finance, Bashir Yuguda that Nwobodo received N100 million from the funds he, Yuguda got from the ONSA.
Besides Nwobodo, Yuguda had reportedly claimed to have given N100 million to the five other chairmen of the Contact and Mobilisation Committee of the PDP for the 2015 general election.
The others mentioned were Amb. Yerima Abdullahi (North-East); Dr. Peter Odili (South-South); Chief Bode George, Southwest, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa (North-West); and Dr. Ahmadu Ali (North-Central).
George has, however, denied the claim.
Nwobodo denied ever meeting the erstwhile National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.) and of having met Yuguda only once.
Nwobodo who was chairman of the Southeast zonal PDP presidential campaign committee said that the only money he was aware of was the N500 million received from Mu‘azu as national chairman which he said was explicitly given for campaign in the five Southeast states. The money he said was distributed in equal batches of N100 million to the five states and said he was ready to disclose the channels through who the money was disbursed should it be necessary.
Noting that it was out of place for him as a loyal party man to ask the source of the money received from the national chairman, he said:“In the first place, I don’t know Col. Sambo Dasuki; I have never met him in person; I have never had any interaction with him. And I didn’t receive money from him.
“The party, during the general election, approved N500 million to be given to the South East zone for the campaigns. We have five states and when those of us nominated from the South East zone met, we were asked to choose a chairman and they choose me and their chairman.
“After series of meetings, it was agreed that the chairman of the party should make fund available to the committee to enable us start work in our respective states.
“They invited us to the residence of the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Adamu Mu’azu, who handed over money to me for the zone, for the election. I invited the chairmen of each of the state campaign committee and we disbursed the money, with each state receiving N100 million each.”
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