The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on
Thursday at a Federal High Court in Abuja tailored its case
to the allegation that the National Publicity Secretary of the
Peoples Democratic Party Chief Olisa Metuh, used the
N400m he allegedly received from the Office of the National
Security Adviser in November 2014, to fund the party’s
presidential campaign for the 2015 general elections.
The anti-graft agency on Thursday called as its fifth
prosecution witness – the Managing Director of CMC
Connect, Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya – whose firm was
engaged for media publicity and “image management” job
for the PDP and its then presidential candidate in the 2015
general elections, former President Goodluck Jonathan.
Badejo-Okusanya told the presiding judge, Justice Okon
Abang, that he was paid a total of N77.5m through Metuh’s
firm, Destra Investments Limited in December 2014 and
that he started executing the job towards the end of the
month.
He said the payment which he got from Metuh’s firm
preceded a meeting which he attended with former
President Jonathan, the then Vice President, Namadi
Sambo, the former Senate President, David Mark, and a
number of other top government functionaries of the then
PDP-led government, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The EFCC had on January 15 arraigned Metuh and his
Destra Investments Limited on seven counts of fraudulent
receipt of N400m from the NSA office in November 2014
and money laundering involving separate sum of $2m cash
transaction.
In the counts one and two, the EFCC alleged that Metuh and
Destra Investments Limited “took possession” of the sum of
N400m from the account of the Office of the NSA with the
Central Bank of Nigeria without contract award.
The prosecution also alleged in count four that between
November 2014 and March 2015, Metuh and the firm used
the said N400m for the campaign activities of the PDP and
other purposes while “having reason to know that the
money directly represented proceeds of an unlawful activity
of Colonel Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (retd).”
It alleged that the N400m was “part of the proceeds of an
unlawful activity” of the immediate past NSA, Col. Sambo
Dasuki (retd.).
The anti-graft commission also alleged in one of the counts
that Metuh and Destra allegedly transferred the sum of
N21.7m to a former member of the Board of Trustee of the
PDP, Chief Tony Anenih.
Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Mr, Sylvanus
Tahir, on Thursday, Badejo-Okusanya said after the meeting
with Jonathan and some top government officials,
sometimes in November 2014, Metuh called him the
following day after the meeting, to inform him that the then
President was impressed with his presentation.
The witness, who in the introductory part of his testimony,
narrated how his relationship with the PDP started with a
public relation job which he did for the party under the
chairmanship of Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, added that Metuh
also informed him that he (Metuh) had been given the
mandate to coordinate the PDP media campaign.
The witness said, “My company, CMC Connect, had done
some work for the PDP under the chairmanship of Dr.
Nwodo, who was desirous of repositioning the PDP as a
vehicle for national transformation. A substantial part of
that work required communication which is what we deal
in.
“The work which started in 2010 stopped abruptly ended
when Dr. Nwodo resigned as chairman.
“We had some outstanding not paid then, so when Metuh
became the spokesperson for the party we met him he said
he liked the work we did then, but that, unfortunately, the
party had no money to pay us so as to continue with the
work. He promised that he would compensate us and that
whenever opportunity arose he would call us. That should
be in 2012.
“In November 2014, he called asking me where I was. He
said I should come down to Abuja to attend a meeting and I
obliged. On arrival at Abuja, I went to his house and he
drove me to the Presidential Villa where we met a meeting
in progress. The meeting was presided over by former
President Goodluck Jonathan. Others who were at the
meeting included the then Vice President, Namadi Sambo,
the Chairman of the party, Muazu, the Senate President,
David Mark, and presidential communication team,
comprising Doyin Okupe, Reuben Abati, Prof,. Alkali, and
others. The meeting was on how to go about the last
election.
“In the course of the meeting, Metuh introduced me as a
communication consultant and that I had worked for the
party before. He then asked me to speak.
“I proceeded to speak what I considered very frankly, to Mr.
President. Without going into the whole details, I said I felt
that I should point out to him the critical things he had to
do to get the election right.
“The President asked me a couple of questions and I
specifically, remember telling him that there was a
disconnect between his government and the people. He
seemed to take everything in good faith and asked us (me
and Chief Metuh) to go.
“The next evening, Chief Metuh called me. He said it seemed
we have made an impression on the President and that he
(Jonathan) had asked him to coordinate the initial campaign
plan for presidential and general election for PDP.
“So we set about with the plan and I was meeting him
(Metuh) severally on the ideas we had about how we can
position the party in the minds of Nigerians.
“Throughout November 2014, we were unable to do
anything meaningful because, according to Chief Metuh, the
funds were unavailable to prosecute whatever ideas we
had.
“I remember him telling me severally that contrary to what
most people felt the party wasn’t awash with money and he
shared with me some of the constraints he had in his work.”
He said his firm started the job later in December 2014 after
receiving the payment of N77.5m in two tranches, with
N7.5m transferred to CMC Connect’s account on December
1, 2014 and the balance of N70m later made on December
15, 2014.
The witness said, “Our first part of the work which we did
was to get Nigerians to appreciate the roles of the military
in the fight against Boko Haram, in general, insurgency.
“This was leading up to the Armed Forces Remembrance
Day and we had insertions in newspapers like This Day, The
Guardian, Punch, Vanguard, Daily Trust, Leadership and
Sun.
“Thereafter, this was leading up to the Christmas season, so
we had a campaign on TV stations wishing Nigerians Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year. We had it on Channels, AIT,
Silverbird and NTA.
“We had placements on those stations. We did some of
them directly and some we engaged the services of a media
brokers. The reason for this was that at that time there was
a lot of demand for airtime from various political parties.
So, to get the prime time, we needed to go through the
media muscle to secure the spots we wanted – the actual
time.
“We did that during the Christmas and New Year season.
We also wrote materials which we titled ‘FACTS Speak’. The
essence of this was to draw attention to some of the
achievements of the PDP as a party,
“My Lord, when we started, the former president (Jonathan)
had just been confirmed as the party’s candidate through
the party convention.
“So we did a centre-spread or what is called double-spread
in three newspapers of the President thanking Nigerians
and promising that he wouldn’t fail them.
“We also did a series of other materials which ran into
January 2015.
“We had daily media trail to PDP, which was one of the
services that will tell them whatever appeared in the media
concerning the party.”
Bundles of the documents containing the evidence of
publication of the various materials in the newspapers, and
certificates of broadcast in the electronic media, invoices
and cheque vouchers relating to the media jobs done, were
admitted as exhibits.
Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Mr.
Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), the witness confirmed that he was
given the job due to his proficiency in “image positioning
management” and his relationship with the PDP.
When asked to confirm that “when the first defendant
(Metuh) called you telling you that the President was
impressed, the first defendant acting for the President,”
Okusanya Badejo responded by saying, “That was what he
told me”.
He also gave a response to a question that there was
nothing unusual about the job he did for the party.
Also on Thursday, a bureau de change operator, Kabiru
Ibrahim, who testified as the sixth prosecution witness,
narrated how he was engaged by an employee of a financial
service firm, Arms and Resource Management Limited,
Nneka Ararume, to change the sum of $1m, which the
prosecution alleged was provided in cash by Metuh, to
naira.
A bureau de change operator, Sie Iyenome, had earlier
testified on Monday, about his role in converting the $1m
balance of the $2m allegedly laundered by Metuh to naira.
Justice Abang has adjourned further trial till February 4.

Ok next?

So there is more to this loot.....

Keep the revelation coming.....it's getting more interesting

So, this is the presidential assignment the looter did not want to reveal?


Obviously hard for Metuh to come out and say Jona gave him taxpayers money to fund election...


MetuSTAN...se ya miserable life... smh

So when are they going to pick Jonathan??

this is how PDP lost the campaign

APC was way better when it came to using PR and media

They employed the best hands and spent money

PDP embezzled money they should have used to prosecute campaigns

PDP embezzled their party into its own grave

EFCC = Propaganda Enforcer for the APC

I hate religion but love Jesus

just yesterday the mai clueless of otueke was spewing rubbish about how corruption didn't occur on a massive scale he should hide his face in shame.

arresa:
So, this is the presidential assignment the looter did not want to reveal?


Obviously hard for Metuh to come out and say Jona gave him taxpayers money to fund election...


MetuSTAN...se ya miserable life... smh

The so called fund raising dinner organized by the PDP was a big scam just to deceive Nigerians. The nation's purse was badly dealt with in their pursuit to return don Fortunato to Aso Rock

K

arresa:
So, this is the presidential assignment the looter did not want to reveal?


Obviously hard for Metuh to come out and say Jona gave him taxpayers money to fund election...


MetuSTAN...se ya miserable life... smh

Abi ooo...but the thing heavy for mouth now..

efilefun:
The so called fund raising dinner organized by the PDP was a big scam just to deceive Nigerians. The nation's purse was badly dealt with in their pursuit to return don Fortunato to Aso Rock

They didn't raise a farthing, it was all smoke & mirrors..

I dare any of their sympathizers to present any evidence, they will divert attention by mentioning Amaechi or Fashola..

Bunch of Ekpas..

Progressive01 ... wey you?

modath:



They didn't raise a farthing, it was all smoke & mirrors..

I dare any of their sympathizers to present any evidence, they will divert attention by mentioning Amaechi or Fashola..

Bunch of Ekpas..

Progressive01 ... wey you?

Present! Oga been enter office.

What happened during that dinner was nothing but financial round tripping, the same practice the oil cabal used in fleecing the country of billions of dollars.

Most of those who "donated" funds didn't pull out a single bill from their accounts, as a matter of fact, they were paid to make those donations (act as fronts). The monies were given them by the same people they gave the monies to.

The Buffoon thought he was too clever but clearly, he was just deceiving himself.

Progressive01:
Present! Oga been enter office.

What happened during that dinner was nothing but financial round tripping, the same practice the oil cabal used in fleecing the country of billions of dollars.

Most of those who "donated" funds didn't pull out a single bill from their accounts, as a matter of fact, they were paid to make those donations (act as fronts). The monies were given them by the same people they gave the monies to.

The Buffoon thought he was too clever but clearly, he was just deceiving himself.

I wish you fit see the kind side eye a dey give you! ... that night was just jamboree, nothing exchanged hands...they won't disclose their account details, we'd have settled this... all na for show!!!

modath:




I wish you fit see the kind side eye a dey give you! ... that night was just jamboree, nothing exchanged hands...they won't disclose their account details, we'd have settled this... all na for show!!!

Aunty, na thesame tin we dey talk naw. It was all a facade intended to throw the public off the trail of their repugnant sleaze.

The Kukas and other known Corruption Inc apologists can spare us their pedantic platitudes and call these guys by the name befitting of their character- Ineffectual Buffoons.

Na now una wan tell us truth abi!

Metuh is not my biz but....
All this efcc rigmarole is too much.

Why make Metuh seem the greatest thief? These still proof the fact that he was paid for an assignment which he carried out, how the money was gotten is not his business.

HOW MANY OF US ASK OUR CUSTOMERS THE SOURCE OF MONEY THEY PAY US FOR OUR GOODS/SERVICES? He is not a government official, he wasn't the one that took money from government purse. Let effcc go and arrest those that did the stealing (the then government officials, Dasuki & co)