A former governor of Rivers State, Peter Odili, has denied receiving N100 million from either the immediate past National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, or former Minister of State Finance, Bashir Yuguda.
Mr. Yuguda had reportedly confessed to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to giving Mr. Odili N100 million for election campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The former minister allegedly claimed he got the money from Mr. Dasuki for onward transfer to Mr. Odili.
The money was part of the $2.1 billion arms procurement funds allegedly diverted and misappropriated by Mr. Dasuki.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Odili said he never had any transaction with the duo of Messrs Dasuki and Yuguda.
He however admitted receiving N100 million from the PDP.
“As part of preparations towards the 2015 election, the PDP set up contact and mobilisation committees across the six geo- political zones and I was appointed the chairman of the South-South mobilisation committee,” he said.
“Consequent upon this, the party, not the former NSA or Yuguda, gave the South-South Committee, through me, the sum of N100 million along with other zonal Chairmen, at the house of the National Chairman, Dr. Adamu Mu’azu, for the assignment.”
Mr. Odili said he utilised the money for the purpose for which it was meant for.
He said, “This amount was subsequently disbursed to the relevant party members from the zone for the assignment given by the party.
“I have the appointment letter and terms of reference, minutes of all the meetings, signatures of all the members and the report of the zonal committee, which was duly submitted to the Party Leader.”
The former governor said for the “purpose of emphasis” he had “no dealings with the former NSA, neither did I collect any money from Yuguda. I challenge anyone who has any contrary evidence to produce it”.
He stressed, “I decided to personally sign this rebuttal because over the years, I had ignored various spurious and patently false reports against me because I knew that at the fullness of time, the truth would surely prevail.
“I would have similarly ignored this recent falsehood attributed to Mr Yuguda but for the fact that the uninformed are beginning to latch on this long-held false and tendentious narrative, hence my decision to rebut this with all vehemence.”
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