Information reaching 247ureports.com indicates that the foremost anti-graft agency of Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] who were already engaged in investigating the former governor of Anambra State in the person of Chief Peter Obi may have expanded the scoop of their investigation to include probing an alleged link of Peter Obi to the monies recently discovered hidden in several accounts supposedly belonging to the former first lady of the Nation, Dame Patience Jonathan.
According to our source, the EFCC received a tip off from a whistle blower who pointed the Commission’s attention to a possible link existing between Peter Obi and the alleged money laundering activities of Patience Jonathan. The source explains that the EFCC suspects that a link exist and has launched an investigation to find evidence to confirm its suspicions.
To that extent, the EFCC office investigation the alleged crimes of Peter Obi was transferred from Enugu to Lagos. The Lagos office of the EFCC had been the office investigating the Patience Jonathan money laundering activities. Peter Obi’s case files were transferred to Lagos in order for the team of investigators investigating Patience Jonathan to also work on Peter Obi’s case files.
The EFCC had launched an investigating on Chief Peter Obi following the receipt of a petition from a youth group in Anambra State – see petition here – N259billion Fraud: EFCC To Invite Former Gov. Peter Obi. The investigation followed an update by this medium with the publication of some of the documentary evidence submitted to the EFCC – see the documents here – Arrest Of Peter Obi: EFCC Queries Anambra Works Ministry [See Documents].
The EFCC original investigation against Peter Obi was based on documentary evidence of contract padding – particularly his activities towards to eve of his exit from the Anambra top seat. Over N259billion of fictitious contract pay outs to cronies of the former governor were hurriedly made with less than 2 weeks to the swearing of the incoming Governor. This was according to the petition.
The EFCC in investigation the allegation wrote a query to the Anambra Ministry of Works to clarify on some questions. As 247ureports.com learnt that the querying letter was responded to by the Ministry. And the EFCC is said to have continued with their investigation with the useful information confirmed by the Ministry.
247ureports.com is uncertain the linkage between the former 1st lady’s hidden monies to the former Governor of Anambra State but it is understood that the relationship between the 1st family and the former governor was not a secret. The two families were close and they engaged in open political business. Our source indicates that Peter Obi had donated heavily to the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] and to the Jonathan reelection campaign. The source points to the monies generated from the federal road project which the Jonathan administration approved for the Peter Obi administration to carried out and supervise – as the source of the monies donated so lavishly to the party and the campaign.
Peter Obi was made a deputy director in the campaign – in charge of the south east. He was in charge of the south east for the Jonathan campaign. About N300billion was raised for the south east campaign and electioneering push. Interestingly, the entire monies [over N300billion] spent for the campaign was made available by Peter Obi. Sources within the EFCC suspect the source of the money to be from the contract padding in Anambra State the year before.
What is certain and factual is the existing conditions of the said contracts that were the subject of the padding. Many of the contracts were road construction projects that were hurriedly prepared and paid out without the normally procedural process. Strikingly, large percentage of the projects – to date – have yet to mobilize to site even though the monies, according to documentary evidence and signatures from Peter Obi, indicate over 50% of the contract sum were already paid out.
Peter Obi is presently jostling for the PDP ticket to join the senatorial race for the Anambra central senatorial district.
