The reason why Operatives of the EFCC, yesterday, arrested for questioning, a former acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus has now been revealed.
We
reported it here yesterday that the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), arrested the immediate past acting chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, for illegally receiving 23 luxury vehicles valued at N310 million from controversial businessman, Jide Omokore.
According to a source at the anti-graft agency, the vehicles included a Mercedes G63 and a Range Rover Autobiography. "His (Mr. Secondus) name popped up while we were investigating Jide Omokore who lifted crude oil repeatedly through his Atlantic Energy but failed to remit the money to the government," said the source.
Federal government insiders disclosed two weeks ago that Jide Omokore had been compelled to release $14 million crude oil royalty his company, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited, failed to remit to the federal treasury.
The ex PDP chairman was picked up by the anti-graft operatives on Tuesday after investigators suspected he had served as a conduit for laundering Omokore’s funds.
"Mr. Omokore distributed money and gifts to politicians and investigators are suspicious that actually those money and vehicles might have passed through him (Mr. Secondus) to other politicians," the source said.
Uche Secondus is currently undergoing interrogation at the Commission’s headquarters. While reacting to Secondus’ arrest, the PDP criticized the federal government’s 'oppressive and unfair treatments' of its key leaders.
In a statement on Wednesday, the party said the arrest was part of a grand script by the All Progressives Congress-led government to decimate the opposition.
"We are also aware that plans have been perfected by the federal government to arrest and detain the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio and other leaders of the party on imaginary charges,” the party said in the statement signed by Victor Kwon, its National Legal Adviser.
"Indeed, intelligence available to the party shows that the federal government, using its various agencies, is bent on destroying any opposition to the ruling party as all indications show that the government is more interested in humiliating the PDP than fighting corruption."