As more revelations continue to greet the ongoing $2.1 billion arms procurement probe, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Tony Anenih, has shed more light on the N260 million he received from the embattled former National Security Adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuko (rtd).
EFCC investigators believe the said N260 million was part of the $2.1 billion arms money which Dasuki allegedly diverted.
Anenih in a letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said that the N260 million was part of a refund of the N440 million he disbursed, on the instruction of Jonathan to elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai; the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Chief Olu Falae; and the leader of the Accord Party, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, among others, for ‘special political assignments’ ahead of the 2015 polls.
The source added that Anenih claimed that he merely, on request, gave the former President his bank account details into which the refund should be made, and that he was not in the position to ask Jonathan how he was going to source money for the refund or through which office it would be made.
Falae and Ladoja have confirmed receiving N100 million each from the PDP leader while Yakassai took N63 million.
Anenih explained that the N263 million he gave to the three men was N3 million in excess of the N260 million paid him, while he had outstanding balance of N180 million to collect from the former President.
He made it clear in the letter to the EFCC that he was not a beneficiary of the money and that he was only acting on the instruction of Jonathan to disburse it.
Other disbursements Anenih made on Jonathan’s instruction to bring the total to N400 million, according to the letter, include N25 million to a former deputy governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Muktari Shagari, and N35 million to a delegation of local government leaders from Katsina State.
Anenih also said in the letter that, on the instruction of the former President, the BoT of the PDP then, under his chair, embarked on a nationwide reconciliation tour and that the money he spent on hiring private jet during the tour, among other responses, was also not refunded to him.
The latest letter by Anenih may be a response to the EFCC boss, Ibrahim Magu who had last week stated that all individuals and companies mentioned in the scandal must return their portion of the alleged loot or face the wrath of the law.
