N450m Campaign Fund: Again, EFCC Quizzes Chime, 2 Other PDP Chieftains

For the second time in a week, the former governor of Enugu state,  Barrister Sullivan Chime, on Monday kept an appointment with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in continuation of the ongoing investigations into the $115m (N23bn) allegedly disbursed by a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke,  in the course of the 2015 presidential election.

Chime had been questioned by officials of the anti-graft agency at its South-East Zonal office in Enugu last week Wednesday. The questioning  reportedly centred on how he handled the N450 million that he received.

Apart from the former governor who was sighted at the commission’s office located at the Independence Layout,  Enugu, other notable chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including former party chairman, Ikeje Asogwa, the chairman of the party’s 2015 campaign organization, Chief Charles Egumgbe, were also seen coming out of the EFCC’s office.

The party leaders were linked to the said said N450 million. The Secretary of the 2015 Campaign organisation and Commissioner under Chime, Rita Mbah was however not sighted at the commission’s office.

Chime had arrived the EFCC zonal office in a black Ford sports utility vehicle with Enugu registration number, CV 950 ENU, at about 10:58 am, and left about 13 minutes afterwards.

In the same way, his other colleagues, Asogwa and Egumgbe left separately later.

Neither Chime nor Asogwa spoke to the press, but Egumgbe who managed to crack some jokes with some journalists around wjo congratulated him for “coming out of the place without being detained” simply said “I’m happy to he out” and left in his black SUV.

Efforts to get an official of the commission to speak with the media on what transpired while Chime and the ywo other PDP leaders were with them failed as none elected to comment.

However, sources told ThisDay that Chime and others had already been granted administrative bail during their earlier interrogation but only kept to the terms of their bail to maintain constant contact with the commission by coming to the commission’s office from time to time.