Diezani Bribe: EFCC Grills Nenadi Usman Over N23bn

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has quizzed the Director of Finance of Goodluck Jonathan campaign organisation, Senator Nenadi Usman, for her alleged role in the N23bn ($115m) allegedly shared by the then Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, during the build-up to the 2015 presidential election.

The commission has been able to trace another N1.85bn to two former governors and three senators from Nigeria's money shared by Madam Diezani.

According to the EFCC, Usman was quizzed at the Gombe zonal office on August 1, 2016, over the billions of naira that was shared in all the states across the North-East through her for the re-election of former President Jonathan.

The Punch reports that Usman opened up to EFCC during interrogation that she met Diezani shortly before the election and the ex-minister gave her a paper containing a specific amount of money to be given to each states of the federation and directed her as the director of finance to contact and send all the representatives of every state to go to Fidelity Bank and collect the campaign slush funds so as to deliver victory for the Peoples Democratic Party across the country.

The anti-graft agency added, “The former DG, Nenadi, told the zonal office of the commission that Bauchi State got N500m through Senator Babayo Garba; Gombe State got N450m through Senator Saidu Kumo; Adamawa State got N450m through former governor James Ngilari while Taraba State collected the same N450m through the former acting governor of the state, Sani Danladi; and Senator Joel Ikenya.

“Usman admitted to the EFCC that she did not know the source of the funds as she claimed that Diezani collected the paper that contained the details of the amount but said she had reported to the head office of the EFCC in Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Gombe zonal offices of the commission to clarify how the multi-billion naira campaign bribe money was shared to the bigwigs of the PDP across the country.”