EFCC acts on Afegbua’s petition against Secondus, summons PDP chiefs over alleged N10bn fraud

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced investigations into a petition of alleged N10 billion fraud, against the National Working Committee of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Uche Secondus.

According to a document obtained by Ripples Nigeria, the anti-graft agency had written a letter inviting the party’s National Auditor, National Organising Secretary, and Director of Finance to meet with its Head of Operations at its National Headquarters in Abuja, beginning from Wednesday (today).

The letter of invitation with reference number: CR:3000/EFCC/ABJ/EG2/12 / Vol 2/146, dated May 17, 2021, and titled, ‘Investigation activities, letter of invitation for information,” was addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP Secretariat.

The letter read, ‘The commission is investigating an alleged case of criminal conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of funds and fraud in which the need to obtain certain clarifications from your party has become imperative.

“In view of the above, you are requested to kindly release the under-listed officers of your party to attend an interview with the undersigned on the below scheduled dates at the Economic Governance Section 2, EFCC Headquarters 2nd floor, flat 301 and 302 Institution and Research District, Jabi, Abuja by 1000 hours.”

The Commission summoned the party’s national auditor to come on Wednesday, its national organising secretary to come on Thursday, while its director of finance, was asked to come on Friday.

The EFCC also asked the officers to come along with relevant documents on the sale of forms into the party’s elective positions from January 2017 to date.

The investigation was triggered by a petition filed by a chieftain of the party, Kazeem Afegbua, who acccused the party exco of not accounting for the money generated from the sales of forms and other sources totalling N10 billion.

Read also: Secondus fears 2023 elections may not hold

However, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Kola Ologbondiyan, and other party leaders, dismissed the claim as untrue.

Ripples Nigeria learnt that Afegbua’s petition was triggered by the content of a leaked memo of an auditor’s query on financial transactions involving the PDP leadership.

The National Auditor of the party, Adamu Mustapha, had alleged that his office was unaware of the party’s financial transactions since 2017.

In the memo, Mustapha had said, “The purpose of this alarm is to bring to the notice of this NWC the inability of the audit department to perform its functions as enshrined in the constitution and the extant laws, to illustrate as example, the audit department was incapacitated by lack of access to the necessary inputs that will enable it to discharge its duties.

“For whatever reasons, there is no access to all financial transactions (cash inflows and outflows) documents of the party like cashbooks, receipts. vouchers, registers cheques and bank statements all of which are necessary input or pre-audit for due process, internal control and reconciliation.”

But in a later development, he denied accusing the national chairman and party leaders of financial misappropriation.

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