Odili: I collected N100m from PDP, not Dasuki

Peter Odili, former governor of Rivers state, on Tuesday said he got N100million from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2015 election.

Odili said he decided to open up on the issue as a result of reports making the round that the money was given to him by either Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser, or Bashir Yuguda, ex-minister of state (finance).

Revealing that he received the money at the residence of Adamu Mu’azu, former chairman of the party, Odili denied ever having any dealing with Dasuki.

“My attention has been drawn to some publications where a former minister of state (finance), Mr. Bashir Yuguda was quoted to have said that he allegedly gave me the sum of N100 million, out of the money he purportedly collected from the former national security adviser,” the statement read.

“I wish to state as follows: I decided to personally sign this rebuttal because over the years, I had ignored various spurious and patently false reports against me because I knew that at the fullness of time, the truth would surely prevail.

“I would have similarly ignored this recent falsehood attributed to Mr. Yuguda but for the fact that the uninformed are beginning to latch on this long-held false and tendentious narrative, hence my decision to rebut this with all vehemence.

“I categorically state with all sense of responsibility that I have never had any dealings, private or business or official, with the former national security adviser, so the issue of allegedly collecting N100 million from either the former NSA or Mr. Yuguda does not arise.

“That as part of preparations towards the 2015 elections, the PDP set up contact and mobilisation committees across the six geo – political zones and I was appointed the chairman of the south-south mobilisation committee.

“Consequent upon this, the party, not the former NSA or Yuguda gave the south-south committee through me, the sum of N100 million along with other zonal chairmen, in the house of the national chairman, Dr. Adamu Muazu, for the assignment.”