From Daily Independent
Online
By Uchenna Awom, National Assembly Correspondent, Abuja
April 30 2006—Fresh
facts have emerged on the genesis of the battle for supremacy
between President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy Atiku Abubakar.
The latest exposure is
the unearthing of how the duo refunded to the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) N100 million, part of the
N1.6 billion Plateau State ecological funds .
A member of the House
of Representatives, Bashir Idris Nadabo, (ANPP, Katsina) told
Sunday Independent, that the Vice President, confirmed to him
and two other members of the House ,Albert Sylvanus Atiwurcha
and Gabriel Yakubu Bwan (Plateau) two months ago in his office
at the Presidential Villa, Abuja that indeed the money, which
was part of the Plateau State ecological fund was donated to
the Obasanjo/Atiku Campaign Organisation, and that he refunded
N50 million of the fund when the deal was exposed on the prompting
of Obasanjo.
Obasanjo, the Vice President
allegedly disclosed, also refunded the balance of N50 million,
but only when his attempt to pin the entire scam on him (Atiku)
failed.
Atiku, Nadabo stated
,said he refunded the money through his banks with the instruction
that it must not be traced to him.
He said Atiku told the
mat the meeting that why he spilled the bean was because it
was no longer a big deal for him to become the president of
Nigeria saying what was important was to get their support
to ease Obasanjo out of government in 2007.
"So I think,
the reason why I decided to expose this was because Atiku
told us that it is not a big deal for him to become the president
of this country and that the most important thing is to get
our support in order to ease this man out. And for this information
to be divulged, I think Atiku wants it to be exposed because
like he had said, it is not a big deal to become president
of this country; the most important thing is to expose Obasanjo
and ease him out and this is very, very important.
"If Atiku
wanted to keep the information close to his chest, he would
have done so, but telling this kind of story to about three
people, I think what he meant according to my own understanding
is for this story to be told to the public, simple and clear."
However, Nadabo who called
on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to revisit
the case in order to establish the facts wants Obasanjo and
Atiku to resign immediately since both of them were involved
in the deal.
Nadabo known as a whistle
blower in the House because of his penchant for squealing on
sundrys cams agreed to speak on tape and insisted that nothing
must be shielded from the public.
In
his narration he said; "About
two months ago, I was invited to see the Vice President by
Hon. Albert Sylvanus Atiwurcha; he came here to pick me up;
from here we went to Hon. Gabriel Yakubu Bwan (Plateau) who
we also picked up, then we went to the Vice President's residence
and after some minutes in the waiting room we were ushered
in, and we saw him. We had a very lively discussion. He started
by telling us the genesis of his problems with President Olusegun
Obasanjo .That was after 2003 elections. That he called him
and told him about this third term agenda, that he wants him
to support him. But according to what Atiku told us, that he
told Obasanjo categorically that he should count him out. So
according to him, that was where the problem started.
"He also went
onto tell us certain stories especially about this N100 million
in respect of Governor Joshua Dariye, which he gave to the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).Actually Atiku said that it
is true that Dariye gave N100 million. But before then let
me tell you something, he said apart from the N100 million
Dariye is being charged of certain irregularities, but Atiku
told us that he advised the president that this is not how
to go about it, that to hand over Dariye to EFCC or ICPC
to investigate him is not the best thing since he is a governor
on the platform of the PDP and he (Obasanjo) is a president
on the same platform, that the best thing was to invite him
to tell him what we have against him, and that the best thing
was for him to go and refund the money.
"This was
the advice Atiku told us he gave to the president. Then coming
back to this N100million to Obasanjo/Atiku Campaign Organisation,
he told us that the money was given, he confirmed it. He
said even as at the time the money was given PDP was in deficit
of N400 million in the account, that is the Obasanjo/Atiku
Campaign Organisation, and when Dariye gave that N100 million
the deficit was down to N300million.
"He went further
to say that when this problem came up, he said Obasanjo called
him and asked 'What do we do? Then he said 'I think what
we should do is that you go and refund the N100 million.
Atiku said he asked him why he (Atiku) should go and refund
N100 million when he didn't even have a budget. He asked
me (Nadabo) if I'd ever seen the budget of his and I said
no.
"He said 'why
should I refund N100 million when even the fueling of my
cars, I do that from my pocket.? I said okay, I will pay
N50 million and you go and refund the balance of N50 million.'
Atiku told us that about two or three days later, he went
back to confirm whether the money was paid, Obasanjo said
yes, that he had refunded the money and Atiku said yes I
also refunded, because I went and told my bank that they
should go and refund the money and that how it is refunded
must not be traced back to him.
"He went
further to tell us that Obasanjo went out of his way to ask
people to take pictures of his house in Adamawa, and even the
one in Washington DC, but he told us that Obasanjo knows that
the house was not new, that he even took him to the house
during the 1999 campaigns, he slept there and that he was
even the first person who made N100 million contribution
to PDP. He said even Obasanjo was surprised how he got the
money ,and said that was not a problem. He said he told him
that it was just a matter of being a party person. He said
about the house in Washington , that he bought it before
he became the vice president of this country and that the
house was too small for him, so he instructed his company
in America to make additional funds available so that he
could buy another one; that was what happened.
But you know he challenged
Obasanjo for making that statement. He said what of his house
in his village that was a dilapidated house, but is a palace
now and what of his farm that was even in debts and everything
in shambles,. What is it now?
"It is a clear
case of corruption because the giver has given and the receiver
has received. Since he said he is fighting corruption and
since he is involved in this he should resign immediately
as president of this country, because this is sheer hypocrisy.
"I became
furious when I read the story that Lamorde of EFCC said two
companies refunded the money, but would not mention the name
of the directors. That was not the true story and that was
why I called you to give you the actual story. Let me tell
you, since Atiku was also involved both of them should go.
But an aide of the vice
president, in his explanation, told Sunday Independent that
it was Atiku who actually walked up to Obasanjo and asked him
to refund the money, since the president authorised the funds
used for the 2003campaigns.
The aide said that it
was when the president said he could not pay up the N100 million
alone that Atiku agreed to pay half of the money in the hope
that the matter would have been effectively resolved.
"The President
paid his N50 million before the VP paid the balance",
he added.
When contacted, however,
the president's spokes person ,Mrs. Oluremi Oyo, said she had
no comment.
