The Delta State Government has denied receiving £4.2 million looted by its former governor, James Ibori.
The Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris on Tuesday while appearing before the Senate committee investigating the status of recovered loot noted that the fund has been returned to the state.
However, the Chief Press Secretary to the state government, Olisa Ifejika, on Wednesday countered the Accountant General’s claim, insisting the oil-rich state is yet to receive the money.
“We appreciate the efforts of the Federal Government to return the recovered loot to Delta State where it rightly belongs. But the truth is that the money has not hit the Delta State government’s account.
Channels Television
The Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris on Tuesday said the £4.2m looted by ex-Delta State Governor, James Ibori, has been returned to the state.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami had on March 9 said the loot would be used for the construction of the second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano road, and Lagos-Ibadan Express road and not returned to the Delta State Government where it was pilfered from.
He argued that the law that was alleged to have been breached by Ibori was a federal law and that the parties of interests involved in the repatriation of the funds were national and not sub-national governments.
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It was a barrage of condemnation, yesterday, after the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami proclaimed the ban on open grazing by southern governors unconstitutional.
Malami, who spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday evening, said the decision of the governors “does not align with the provisions of the Constitution, hence it does not hold water.
“For example, it is as good as the northern governors coming together to say they prohibit spare parts trading in the north. Does it hold water for a northern governor to come and state expressly that he now prohibits spare parts trading in the north?”
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“More Governors from the PDP are joining the APC. Just watch you’ll see and then realise that I know what I’m saying,” Ayade said on Channels Television Politics Today.
Ayade defected to the APC on Thursday after dumping the PDP.
He had said the purpose of leaving the PDP was due to the attributes of President Muhammadu Buhari and the realisation that Cross River needed to be in sync with the party at the center. x
Ayade disclosed that all political office holders in Cross Rivers State will join him in the APC.
“It is total. All the Councillors, local government chairmen, almost all the House of Assembly members, most of the national assembly members, my entire commissioners and cabinet, that’s the amount of political structure…and all the LGAs I have built industries, industries in all the LGAs…all of that is coming in today,” Ayade said.
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