Encomium
Despite spirited denial by Dr Reuben Abatti, Special Adviser, Media & Publicity to President Goodluck Jonathan, insiders have begun to reveal faces of those who allegedly mismanaged about N2 trillion meant to influence voters in Southwest and across the country. Here are those behind the alleged campaign fund loot.
FORMER LAGOS GUBER CANDIDATE FINGERED
It’s not once he had aspired to govern Lagos without success. The former lawmaker had cornered many other political appointments in this democratic dispensation.
That’s why he was in the position to disburse millions of dollars on behalf of Jonathan. Disappointingly, he couldn’t even deliver aspiring lawmakers who depended on him. Jonathan also lost in his ‘territory’.
TIME TO PROBE ANOTHER PARTY CHIEFTAIN
Equivalent of a retired Army General, this PDP chieftain also benefitted from the controversial N2 trillion campaign funds. A member of the PDP Board of Trustees, the godfather of many influential politicians in South west who also backed a guber candidate, allegedly pocketed over 70 million dollars (N14 billion!) From the controversial Jonathan campaign largesse.
A FORMER SENATOR AND FIVE MILLION PHANTOM SOUVNIRS
A former female Senator and one- time political appointee of a two- term- Nigerian president has also been linked with the largely- missing N2 trillion Jonathan campaign funds. From branded party vests, to caps and sundry gift items, we were told, the powerful politician didn’t really deliver.
NORTHERN FEMALE BILLIONAIRE ALSO INDICTED
When this billionaire business woman started romancing Aso Rock, we didn’t know she was in for the income not just the outcome. A bossom friend of the first family, she allegedly took it upon herself to reach her northern kinsmen, but all the funds said to be the highest ever allocated didn’t get to them. Thus, PDP lost woefully in the region. She also failed to deliver her own blood and state.
IT WAS GOOD BUSINESS FOR A GUBER CANDIDATE
Having all the ideas without the funds to implement them is not the wish of any ambitious politician.
So, when a guber candidate saw the huge war chest of his sponsors, he made sure he keyed into the system. And after the election has been contested and won, insiders say, the business man who didn’t go a borrowing certainly won’t go a sorrowing. Notwithstanding the loan he allegedly secured from a bank, his book keepers say he wouldn’t pay back so much.
LAGOS CAMPAIGN COORDINATORS STILL SMILING…
With some five Lagos Presidential campaign coordinators allegedly moblized to the tune of some 150 Million dollars (that’s about N30 billion!) one expected they should deliver the APC-controlled states to the PDP. The rest, like they say is now history. The bottom line is all of them wouldn’t escape an audit.
THE NOT- SO -ROYAL FATHERS
The 2O15 general election welcomed another category of ‘bribe takers’. And that is some of our monarchs who allegedly collected millions of dollars from Jonathan to influence their subjects whose votes he needed badly in South west.
That was how part of the N2 trillion was shared.
MORE BENEFICIARIES LITTER S/WEST
Desirous to capture the south west geo- political zone, Jonathan’s handlers were ready to spend any amount to woe voters. To realise this, the funds were channelled through powerful party members, including a controversial politician who is now senator-elect.
PDP leaders in the region were also involved in the disbursement of the campaign largesse now tearing the party apart.
POWER TO THE WOMEN
From a pet project committed to promoting peace across the country, Nigerian women mainly in the ruling PDP strongly demanded their share of the party’s campaign funds. ENCOMIUM Weekly was reliably informed that their ‘leader’ who toured almost the 36 states and the FCT, abusing Jonathan’s opponents got billions that need to be properly audited.
It was even gathered that she had to fight the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization Director General for equal and adequate funding. The powerful woman was so devastated after her party’s loss that she has been out of circulation since then.
SOUTH- SOUTH LEADERS
Though South-South was not really a problem for Jonathan, he needed to motivate those working for him. But the battle for the soul of Rivers state required much more funding. So, a guber candidate and a former minister was bankrolled to deliver the state hitherto under the firm grip of the Governor (Mr. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi) who was also the Director General of the opposition APC Presidential Campaign Organization. Report of how Rivers PDP chieftains shared their ‘allocation’ might also be probed.
REPENTANT NORTHERN REBELS
It has also been alleged that some of the PDP leaders who dumped the party and later returned, got largely unaccounted funds from the campaign largesse.
OIL MOGUL’s IMAGE ALMOST TANNISHED
He formed a formidable national pro-Jonathan campaign structure that got a huge amount from Mr. President’s ‘friends’.
Though, he got commendation from party leaders, including Jonathan at the grand finale of the presidential campaign, the oil mogul’s account might equally be audited to ascertain if his image has not been ‘Tarnished’.
WHO GOT WHAT IN SOUTH EAST
Jonathan didn’t necessarily had to break the banks to get the votes of South East, but money sure exchanged hands. And since much needed to be spent in Imo state where Governor Okorocha had a surging popularity, his team had to mobilise stakeholders to ‘appease’ their people. From the leader of the party in the zone to current and former ministers as well as a one- time governor who recently joined the party, money was not a problem in the zone.
In Anambra, for instance, prominent politicians got billions of naira to win the APGA -controlled state.
