National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Adamu Mu’azu,
popularly called “Game Changer” and his Deputy, Chief Uche Secondus are
currently at loggerheads over $200 Million (Two Hundred Million Dollars)
bribe from several aspirants seeking the party’s ticket.
Mu’azu, the former Governor of Bauchi State, who took over the helms of
affairs of the PDP from Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, allegedly collected $200
Million from several aspirants seeking the Party’s ticket and did not
share with his Deputy.
It was gathered from some aggrieved Aspirants who did not clinch the PDP
tickets that Governorship and National Assembly Aspirants paid as much as
$10 Million to the Chairman as fees to facilitate the picking of preferred
Delegates and electoral officers.
The National Chairman allegedly failed to deliver on his promises after
pocketing the huge sums.
Ndudi Eleumelu, a Governorship Aspirant in Delta State paid a whooping
N750 Million and the case ended up with the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC.
Sources told Pointblanknews.com that the issue came to the fore when some
of the PDP aspirants complained to President Goodluck Jonathan about how
they were defrauded having paid huge sums for the PDP ticket and yet could
not secure the party’s flag.
Irked by the revelations from the Aspirants who recently met with him, the
President had summoned the PDP hierarchy.
A source told Pointblanknews.com that the President was particularly
miffed after he had received a complaint from General T.Y Danjuma who had
complained that few days before the Governorship Primaries in Taraba
State, he had received words that after paying huge sums for his
candidate, the National Chairman was making clandestine moves to deny his
candidate the ticket.
It is not immediately known how much the retired General doled out for
his candidate. But sources told Pointblanknews.com that the amount was
huge and that the former Defence Minister had threatened to go to the
press.
However, at the meeting with the President, sources confirmed that Party
officials were shocked that the National Chairman had collected such huge
sums without their knowledge.
Deputy National Chairman, Chief Secondus was particularly angered that he
has severally suffered short-change from the National Chairman and vowed to take a pound of flesh.
At the end of the meeting, sources told Pointblanknews.com that the
President immediately directed that anyone who had collected money from
any aspirants should as a matter of urgency return same.
A candidate from Delta State confirmed to Pointblanknews.com that he has
since been refunded almost N1Billion he dolled out to the Party hierarchy.
It is not known yet if all the Aspirants who paid for tickets have been
refunded.
Up till the time of going to press, the National Chairman and his Deputy
do not speak to each other.
According to a source at the Party National Headquarters in Abuja, “It is
hard to reconcile both leaders now because of the campaigns now. Perhaps
after the campaign, the leadership of the party will meet and reconcile
them,” a source privy to the development told Pointblanknews.com.
The source added, “that is what has been happening here since 1999.
Aspirants always pay. Mu’azu is not the first even if he is removed today;
any other person who takes over will do the same. They all collect money.
Even Secondus who is complaining today has been collecting.”
Efforts to reach both men were not successful as their phones were both
switched off.
