I didn’t collect money from Dasuki, says PDP chairman

Acting Chairman, PDP, Uche Secondus

The Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Uche Secondus, has said that he didn’t collect a dime from the former National Security Adviser, Lt.Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.).

Secondus was reacting to the insinuation in some quarters that he also benefited from the money, which was meant for the purchase of arms to fight terrorism in the North-East in particular and in the country as whole, but was shared to politicians by Dasuki.

He told our correspondent that he was never involved in the sharing and collection.

Some members of the party are currently being tried by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission for alleged corruption and money laundering because of their involvement in the sharing of the money.

Four national officers of the main opposition party had called on those involved to separate their cases from the party since they got the money from Dasuki, using their individual company accounts.

They also called on those holding offices in the party to quit in order for them to have time to face the court cases instituted against them.

Among those involved, two are holding national positions in the party.

They are the Acting Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Haliru Mohammed and the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh.

Bello is currently being tried for allegedly using his personal company to collect N300m from Dasuki while Metuh allegedly collected N400m from the same man.

Metuh had confessed that he collected the money, but said that former President Goodluck Jonathan used the money to pay him for a job he had refused to disclose.

The national officers,who made the call were the Deputy National Youth Leader, Dennis Alonge-Niyi; Deputy National Legal Adviser, Bashir Maidugu; Deputy National Organsising Secretary Okey Nnaedozie; and Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Abdullahi Jalo.

But Secondus said that it was wrong for some people to categorise him among those being accused of collecting money from Dasuki.

He said, “I was not mentioned among those that collected money from the former NSA. I saw some reports linking me with it in either their headlines or body of their stories.

“That is wrong. Have you seeing my name or company among those who took money? The answer is no! I didn’t collect a dime from the former NSA.”

On the travails of some members of the party, Secondus said that he was sure that the judiciary would adjudicate on the matter.