N400m Campaign Fund: EFCC Arrests Ebonyi Governor’s Brother, Two Others
Adetokunbo Fakeye
Nigeria anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, on Monday August 29, 2016, arrested one Austin Umahi, brother to the current governor of Ebonyi State, Chief David Umahi along with two others: Chinyere Egwuche and Mabel Dikibo over a N400, 000, 000 (four hundred million naira) slush fund linked to 2015 Presidential Campaign of the Peoples Democratic party.
According to the agency spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, the suspects, all staff of Brass Engineering & Construction Nigeria Limited and Osborn La-Palm Royal Resort, were arrested, following refusal to collect and honour invitation by the EFCC, for questioning in an ongoing investigation involving both companies.
While Austin Umahi doubles as the Chairman of both companies, Chinyere Egwuche and Marbel Dikibo are also signatories to the companies’ accounts.
Investigations by the Commission revealed that the sum of N400, 000, 000 was released by the Director of Finance, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Senator Nenadi Usman, to PDP Ebonyi State, for the 2015 presidential election, but the said fund was moved from Fidelity Bank Abakaliki on the 27th of March 2015, where it was initially deposited to an Access Bank Abakaliki account, where one Maxwell Umahi further moved N100, 000,000 and N300, 000,000 respectively into the accounts of Brass Engineering & Construction Nigeria Limited and Osborn La-Palm Royal Resort respectively.
One of the suspects, Chinyere Egwuche subsequently withdrew the N300 million paid into the account of Osborn La-Palm, which according to her was used to finance further construction of Osborn La-Palm Hotels in Abakaliki, Uburu and Port – harcourt, while the N100 million paid into the account of Brass Engineering & Construction Nigeria Limited was transferred to a certain David Umahi Faith Foundation.
Though investigation is still ongoing, the above mentioned companies has been traced to the Ebonyi State Governor.