Following the defeat suffered by President Goodluck
Jonathan and his party, the Peoples Democratic
Party, during the March 28 and April 11 elections,
the President has asked the party and government
officials who handled campaign funds to refund
monies not spent, or those not judiciously
expended, SUNDAY PUNCH can authoritatively
report.
Jonathan, credible sources said, has also set up a
committee of five to get those with the funds to
return them.
Sources within the party and government told our
correspondents that President Jonathan was
disturbed that despite giving campaign
coordinators, ministers, special advisers, close
aides and friends, support groups and traditional
rulers over N2trn in cash, most of them could not
deliver their polling booths and local governments.
The President was said to have been further irked
by the results of an investigation he ordered. The
probe showed that some coordinators used
campaign funds to buy very expensive properties,
especially in Abuja, and luxury cars. Some of the
funds have also been traced to the bank accounts
of senior party and government officials who were
charged with the disbursement of funds to voters
and groups.
A reliable source within the Presidency told our
correspondents that one of the President, who
recently admitted to a few close aides that it would
be difficult to retrieve all the funds, was bent on
getting senior party and government officials who
received funds to account for all monies collected.
The source who is a close associate of the
president said monies given to traditional rulers in
different parts of the country, for example, would
not be demanded for. But the source was quick to
add that the President was determined to get his
ministers, close aides and special advisers to make
refunds.
He said, “Some ministers did not get less than
N20bn each. None of them can deny it because this
fact isn’t hidden within government circles. The
only problem with such monies is that there is no
receipt to show that they collected money. The sad
part is that almost all of them performed woefully.
Even in the states where the PDP won, some
ministers could not deliver 100,000 votes. They
could not mobilise their people to come out. The
President is not happy. They all went property and
car shopping. This was the most expensive election
in the history of this country, yet there was no
result.
“The sad part was that even after the President lost
on March 28, more money was given to all of them
to make up for the dismal outing by winning their
states during the April 11 elections. But that turned
out to be a bad decision because apart from losing
the governorship election, we didn’t perform well
at the National Assembly and House of
Representatives polls.
“They must give an account of the money since they
didn’t use it for the election. The President is not
particular about the funds spent on genuine
campaign needs like the hiring of jets,
advertisements and the rest that also cost billions
of naira. His focus is on the individuals that
collected billions to deliver their states but couldn’t
even win their polling booths.”
Our correspondents gathered that apart from the
N20bn given to some key ministers and senior
special advisers, especially in states where the PDP
hoped to capture from the opposition All
Progressives Congress, some pro-Jonathan support
groups received about N16bn.
A former legislator who was to print five million
recharge cards, T-shirts and base ball caps has also
come under pressure to account for the billions she
received because only a few people got the items
she was paid to produce. Also, a top female
politician in Lagos who got a contract to produce
and supply thousands of mobile phones with pro-
Jonathan messages was said to have produced just
a few and pocketed most of the funds.
It was learnt that the funds Jonathan released were
disbursed in three phases. Some were released
before the March 28 elections, others on the day of
the presidential election and more before the April
11 governorship polls.
Already, the committee of five has started asking
some of the campaign coordinators and ministers
who received a minimum of N20bn each to give an
account and also refund residual funds where
applicable.
However, our correspondents learnt that most of
the people who received the funds had not
cooperated with the committee. While some have
not been forthcoming, others have simply ignored
the committee.
Jonathan is said to be particularly focusing on the
South-West and northern states.
In Lagos, a popular PDP chieftain who lost in his
polling booth reportedly received $50m in cash a
few days before the governorship elections.
A senior PDP party member who spoke to one of
our correspondents in Lagos over the weekend
confirmed the cash splurge in Lagos.
The source said, “Lagos was a show of shame. A
few days to the governorship poll, about $150m
was received in cash by about five top campaign
coordinators. But they failed again, even more than
we did in the presidential poll because we lost
some areas we won on March 28 to the APC on
April 11. They were to share this money to the local
governments and the masses.
“Please understand me, I am saying that the sum of
$150m was just for the governorship election in
Lagos. We are not talking about the sums they got
for the presidential election. Only one out of the
five people that shared the money gave some of it
to local government chairmen. This person
disbursed about N2bn. The rest of them sat on the
money.
“The coordinator that collected the sum of $50m
later went to a Federal Government agency and
complained of not having enough funds for the
election and got an additional $20m. The story is
the same in almost all the South-West especially
Oyo, Osun, and the northern states. A female
minister from the North, who got the highest
amount of funds for that region, lost her state in a
shameful manner.”
Confirming that campaign directors in different
parts of the country had been asked for an audit,
the PDP Campaign Director in Akwa Ibom, Mr.
Idongesit Nkanga, said the instruction was not new.
He stated that the PDP’s campaign organisation in
the state had concluded its audit.
“It is the normal thing. It is the right thing to do for
transparency’s sake,” he said.
Nkanga said he would not be able to comment on
the refund because he did not collect money from
anyone.
According to him, the PDP’s campaign organisation
in Akwa Ibom State received a letter for an audit
from the PDP campaign headquarters.
He explained that “because the letter emanated
from the national headquarters of the party, they
were under obligation to submit the audit report
about the campaign’s expenditure to them.”
He maintained that at the campaign headquarters,
some of the information was available, adding that
he would not be able to give SUNDAY PUNCH
accurate details offhand to avoid possible conflict in
the figures.
Asked what sanctions would be meted out to
defaulters, Nkanga said they might be prosecuted.
However, our correspondent reports that
prosecution, while not impossible, may be difficult
as most of the monies disbursed were not
receipted.
Contacted, the national leadership of the ruling PDP
said it did not know anything about the money
spent on its presidential campaign.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Olisa
Metuh, stated this in an interview with one of our
correspondents in Abuja on Saturday.
Metuh said only those put in charge of the funds
were in a position to account for the monies.
He said, “The national leadership of the PDP is not
aware of any campaign fund. We were not part of it
and therefore we can’t be asked to account for what
we didn’t know anything about.
“There was a campaign committee and only the
committee is in the position to account for any
fund.”
Efforts made to speak with the Director-General of
the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Sen.
Ahmadu Ali were unsuccessful.
Ali, a former national chairman of the party, did not
pick his call and also failed to respond to a text
message sent to him.
Similarly, efforts to get the Presidency’s reaction
did not yield any result as calls made to the
telephone line of the presidential spokesman,
Reuben Abati, as at 10.30pm did not connect.
www.punchng.com/news/jonathan-demands-n2trn-election-funds-refund-audit/

Hmmm Buhari would need bigger prisons for these people shaaa

Jesus!!!!! N2tr? That's about half our annual budget!! How much was actually budgeted for the campaign?
If this is true, I think someone is trying really hard to cover his tracks. After all, this appears to be the season of refunds.

Good! Refund and re-imburse into the treasury. There will be no problem if y'all return all your loots with interests and forfeit your assets if it's not complete
Operation vomit what you ate

He never thought it wise to do what he was elected to do, until it was re-election he needed.
N2Trillion would give us the 2nd Niger Bridge(without having to toll it), 8-lane Ilorin-Ibadan-Lagos expressway, Ibaka Sea Port and it would raise the newly established Federal Universities to reasonable standards. But what do we have? A president who spent most of his time doing nothing, but decided to engage in stomach infrastructure when it's few week to election.
You still wondering why he lost?

GEJ, I thought he regained his senses on the evening of March 30, I am surprised he still disbursed funds for the gubernatorial elections.

Ehya! I pity the guy man sha.

Imagine the money this GEJ Wasted on election rigging and bribing thingz. This same amount would have earned him 2nd term if he had used it for development of the country. This is one of the reasons I feel nauseous whenever this man is being termed as a worthy candidate for the Mou Ibrahim leadership award!

If true then it is a pity, PDP needs all the money it can get because its funding in the next republic will be seriously impaired.

This must be a joke right? He invested in his 2nd term bid and lost, he should know better that any business is a risk.

2tr ?? Awesome

I dont believe it

Am very sure if PDP had won the election there will be nothing of this ass licking attitute they would have congratulated themselve for engaging in so many act of inpunity just to win an electioin.....now they realise there is no more money coming directly from a portion of NNPC account to fund their party

He will soon come to tell us that stealing 2trillion naira from the treasury is not corruption. These men should be locked in Maiduguri and Damaturu prisons if they can't refund the cash stolen. They juz intentionally inflicted hardship on Nigerians. Wicked President ever!

In Lagos, a popular PDP chieftain who lost in his
polling booth reportedly received $50m in cash a
few days before the governorship elections.
A senior PDP party member who spoke to one of
our correspondents in Lagos over the weekend
confirmed the cash splurge in Lagos.
The source said, “Lagos was a show of shame. A
few days to the governorship poll, about $150m
was received in cash by about five top campaign
coordinators. But they failed again, even more than
we did in the presidential poll because we lost
some areas we won on March 28 to the APC on
April 11. They were to share this money to the local
governments and the masses.
“Please understand me, I am saying that the sum of
$150m was just for the governorship election in
Lagos. We are not talking about the sums they got
for the presidential election. Only one out of the
five people that shared the money gave some of it
to local government chairmen. This person
disbursed about N2bn. The rest of them sat on the
money.
“The coordinator that collected the sum of $50m
later went to a Federal Government agency and
complained of not having enough funds for the
election and got an additional $20m.

Koro, bode george and agbaje don hammer big time courtesy of otuoke mumu dullard....lmao

even in d midst of Economic recession , dwindling national resources, and fall in oil price our

government could afford to spend that money on election bribing and rigging?

yet some people say he is an hero?

I beg to differ on that, does
corruption
embezzlement
negligence
conceding defeat after exploring all other options amount to being an hero?

:;

donpata:
I dont believe it

You de mind d lies of apc?
Even after using children to rig in all d Hausa north they are tired of lying cos lies n apc are same.

The source who is a close associate of the president said monies given to traditional rulers in different parts of the country, for example, would not be demanded for.

Try and see first nah

How do you want us to believe the pastors did not receive the alleged N7 billion naira?

The inherent wickedness of these politicians is quite sickening. So, all this money they stole if they put it to work, will we all not be better for it? How you can steal the country blind and be living no better than a rat in the same country is amazing. Forget all the flashy houses. At the end of the day we all have to deal with decaying infrastructure, bad universities, insecurity and powering generators. It's like a lot of the politicians and citizens are highly unintelligent. The quality of life is so bad and they steal without limit. No conscience and very daft. All this stealing is for vanity. To impress girlfriends while 100's of thousands die untimely deaths as a result. Later when calamity befall you, your families and girlfriends they will be looking for unseen enemies. This is madness, very insane situation we took ourselves out of. I hope they are imprisoned and shackled. Death sentence is even too good. Useless creatures

And yet sum will called him hero for conceding defect dat is glaring. Gej is d worst president Nigeria has ever produced. Gej is naver an hero with d kind of corruption and impunity in his administration. Nonsense

Ghen ghen.

Gej the free giver.when I was in bayelsa, I met one politician who told me any one close to gej can never never be poor cos the man doles out money like father xmas

Jonathan don enter political one chance. He should start with FFK and that agowilt basterd Doyin Okupe. These guys scammed Jonathan big time.

He should not forget SeverusSnape, Temitemi1, Pa Chukwudi, Mogidi, and that terrific nairaland loser

Y'all must return campaign money not utilised. But, what do we expect? According to Jonathan - 'Stealing in not Corruption'

Btw, Jonathan is the worst president Nigerians ever voted for. A terrible mistake and affliction. Now, that mistake been undone, thanks to determined resolution of Nigerian electorates who decided (and rightly too) to kick his cluelessness out of Aso Rock back to Otuoke. How did we end up with a man like that as president?

Lord have mercy. Many supporters of GEJ will eventually be me ashamed of him by the time the new Administration comes in and begins to audit the nation's account.

GEJ and his co-travelers are nothing but bunch of heartless Homo sapiens.
Imagine the amount of development 2trillion would have brought to the Nation?

he would have won with great margin if he invested the said money in the development of the country

RichDad1:

Imagine the amount of development 2trillion would have brought to the Nation?

The Second Niger Bridge is estimated to cost N130 billion. Imagine the shame!

#Babamusthearthis!
#Babamustaskquestions
#Babaprobethesepeople

Even Satan AKA devil sef go shout Jeeeeezus for Nigeria mattah! Nigeria has been crippled by Jonathan led PDP; wonder what would've been left had they won. Of course they would recoup the money spent b4 trying to perform.


This goes to show that elections in Nigeria is shifting from how much u spent to how satisfied the ppl are with ur performance.

Thank God I campaigned against this Fee Dee Fee......Jeeeez

aieromon:


The Second Niger Bridge is estimated to cost N130 billion. Imagine the shame!

If he can execute Projects of the same magnitude and value across the Five geo-political zones, I bet his campaigns would have been 90% better.
Shame to his advisers.

GEJ, d corruption hero!









More to come after may 29.

Saraki comes to mind.