Foreigners Free to Campaign for Buhari, Says Ribadu

Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) and the Director of Field Operations in the All Progressives
Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has
said that there is nothing unlawful with any government official or
individual from West African countries joining the campaign for the
reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking at a training programme organised for APC vote
canvassers on Friday, Ribadu said the presence of two governors
from Niger Republic at Buhari’s campaign in Kano did not infringe
on Nigeria’s electoral law.

“For your information, it is a free world and it is the
constitutional right of everyone to be where he wants to be. You
have no right to curtail anybody from doing what he wants to do.
People from West Africa are free to move into Nigeria. We have a
protocol or agreement that they don’t need a visa to come into this
country.

“I know for sure that they don’t have the vote but as a free
West African who believe that someone has done extremely very well,
and decided to identify himself with what he believes in, I don’t
think there is anything wrong and I don’t think there is any crime
committed,” he said.

Ribadu who was asked to comment on the participation of two
Nigerien governors in APC Kano campaign and against the background
of allegations by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the
ruling party was trying use citizens from neighbouring countries to
rig the coming elections, said there was no cause for alarm.
Ribadu said no one had right to stop them from exercising their
fundamental right to identify with their friends in the
country.

According to the former EFCC boss, the presence of the
foreigners may not have any impact on their reelection since they
have no voting right.
“We have to guarantee their freedom because their presence is
within the law and we don’t have right to stop them,” Ribadu
said.

While explaining the rationale for embarking on the training
programme, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of
Consumer Protection Council (CPC) Babatunde Irukera, said the vote
canvassers were being prepared with requisite skills to help
mobilise support for the APC during the forthcoming elections.

Irukera also said that APC had decided to mobilise efforts to
ensure wide margin win for President Buhari so as to remove any
iota of doubt on his victory at the presidential election.

“The only strategy against whatever they are strategising on is
an overwhelming margin and so we must make sure that the voter
turnout demonstrate that there is an overwhelming popularity. All
that seems to be the pressure from the international community
about the transparency of our election, don’t worry about it. The
way to deal with that is an overwhelming number and once we have
those numbers the only thing they would say is that it doesn’t
matter to them, whatever the case maybe this election represents
substantially the free will of the people of Nigeria,” he said.

Patience Jonathan Forfeits N1bn by Court
Order

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has secured
an interim forfeiture of the sum of N1,000,494,000 (One Billion,
Four Hundred and Ninety Four Thousand Naira) only lodged in three
deposits with Fidelity Bank Plc on 20th and 25th May, 2015.

The forfeiture order by Federal High Court sitting in Kano and
presided over by Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa is consequent upon a
motion ex parte filed by the Commission seeking for the interim
forfeiture of the money, which was found in the Bank account of
Magel Resort Limited, a company linked to the former First Lady of
Nigeria, Patience Jonathan.

The Commission had gotten an intel that a bank account domiciled
in Fidelity Bank, had a huge sum of money that was not being used
by anybody.

Upon receipt of the intelligence, the EFCC swung into action by
conducting preliminary investigation, which revealed that Patience
and some relatives of former president, Goodluck Jonathan were
directors of the Company. Others named as directors are Oba Oba
Tamunotonye, Goodluck Jonathan Aruera, Goodluck Jonathan Ariwabai
and Esther Fynface.

In trying to trace the origin of the money, it was discovered
that N500,000 was deposited on the 20th of May, 2015 by Fynface,
who is alleged to be in charge of the Company, while N1 billion
(One Billion Naira Only) was transferred in two tranches on the
25th May, 2015 from PAGMAT OIL AND GAS NIGERIA LIMITED a company
that was not incorporated with the Corporate Affairs
Commission.

Ruling on the motion, Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa held that: “An
interim forfeiture order is granted to the Federal Government in
the sum of N1,000,494,000 (One Billion, Four Hundred and Ninety
Four Thousand Naira Only) in the Bank account of the 1st respondent
Magel Resort Limited 4011019546 which is maintained with 2nd
respondent Fidelity Bank Plc”.

The court further ordered that the forfeited sum be deposited in
the Treasury Single Account of the Federal Government.

Tony Orilade
Ag. Head, Media & Publicity