Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae, has admitted that he collected N100 million from Chief Anthony Anenih, the former chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The former SGF was reported to have recieved N100 million from the N260 million given to Anenih by the office of the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
Falae, while reacting to the report, said yesterday that the money was purely an interparty affair between the PDP and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which he is the National Chairman.
The former presidential candidate said the money was given to the SDP to effectively campaign for the PDP in the 2015 presidential election.
According to him, in the build up to the 2015 general elections, the PDP and SDP entered into working agreement.
His words: “In the build up to the presidential election, the PDP approached the SDP which I chaired. The then ruling party solicited for our support in order for President Goodluck Jonathan to win the March 28 presidential election.
“Anenih related with me as the chairman of the PDP BoT and I did same as the SDP National Chairman. He wrote to me as PDP BoT chairman and I wrote back as SDP National Chairman stating conditions/terms for the alliance.
I have the record. “It is true that N100 million was given to my party to endorse and work for the Jonathan’s candidature in the 2015 election. We used the money for that purpose and we effectively campaigned for the PDP since we did not have presidential candidate in the election. The money was not for me.
“Thank God I’m a retired civil servant. I have all the documents to prove all that transpired between the two parties.”
The former Finance Minister stated that there was no way he could know that the money was from arms fund.
“With all the money PDP has and having spent 16 years in power, how would I know that the money was from the arms deal? No reference was made to the arms deal. So, they should not bring me into the arms issue. The relationship was purely interparty affairs,” Falae said.
It was gathered that Anenih, in his letter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), stated that the former SGF and ex-governor’s groups were given N100 million each in the build up to the 2015 presidential election.
Anenih, in the letter addressed to the EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu, stated that the money was transferred to him on the instruction of former President Goodluck Jonathan for specific assignments.
In the letter, Anenih stated that he spent over N441 million far above the N260 million he received from the NSA. The former PDP BoT chair stated that the beneficiaries of the money acknowledged the receipt.
