'Probe diversion of NDDC funds into Sylva's campaign -PDP tells EFCC

The Peoples Democratic Party in Bayelsa State has raised the alarm over an alleged diversion of N4.5 billion belonging to the Niger Delta Development Commission to fund the governorship aspiration of the All Progressives Congress candidate in the upcoming election in the state, Timipre Sylva.

The party has therefore called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to step in and investigate the matter.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Director of Publicity of the Restoration Campaign Organisation, Jonathan Obuebite, alleged that the said funds were being diverted into Sylva’s campaign and his election arrangement through “illegal” award of contracts to the APC candidate’s cronies by the NDDC.
Obuebite alleged that the contracts were given out for “shore protection” in Ekpoma, hometown of the Sylva in Bayelsa State, and Fantuo, a community in Nembe Local Government Area of the state, for which he said there was no evidence of any ongoing work to warrant the release of the stated sum.
Obuebite stated that the PDP was in possession of the contract documents as proof of its claim and that the party also had it on “good authority” that the said contracts were phantom contracts as conduits to siphon money to fund Sylva’s election.
He was categorical that a disbursement of N1.5 billion has been made out of the total contract sum of N4.5 billion being channeled to the APC candidate’s campaign and election purposes.
In a related development, the PDP has also drawn EFCC’s attention to the cries of Niger Delta group of elders who were said to have petitioned the crime-fighting agency over alleged plot by some politicians from the region to divert about N1 billion that accrued to the NDDC for the December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa State.
Obuebite, who lamented the meddlesomeness of some key aides of President Muhammadu Buhari as being behind the alleged “slush funds”, said using public funds to prosecute the governorship aspiration of an individual because of political party affiliation was corruption and at variance with the anti-corruption crusade of the President.
He urged the EFCC to probe the allegation without further delay.
He stated: “We do not want to join others in mentioning names of the key aides of President Buhari who are directly involved in this dubious scheme. They certainly know themselves. They are friends of Timipre Sylva and they know too well that this level of impunity and corruption cannot go unrewarded. One way or the other they will meet their waterloo. We are calling on the EFCC to move swiftly and investigate this monumental fraud going on in NDDC.”

Today.ng