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CONTRARY to the allegation that he may have stolen N510 million said to have been paid to a spiritualist, the suspended chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Ambassador Sam Edem, according to police sources, told detectives that the money was given to him by a former South east governor.
Abuja - CONTRARY to the allegation that he may have stolen N510 million said to have been paid to a spiritualist, the suspended chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Ambassador Sam Edem, according to police sources, told detectives that the money was given to him by a former South east governor. Police sources, weekend, quoted Edem as saying the former governor gave him the money to oil his (Edem) 2007 gubernatorial bid in Akwa Ibom State. The suspended NDDC boss had been arrested penultimate week for allegedly engaging a spiritualist to whom the money was paid to spiritually influence vice president Goodluck Jonathan to protect his job in the interventionist agency, influence Governor Godwill Akpabio to award juicy contracts to him and eliminate the NDDC managing director, Mr Timi Alaibe.
The sources said that with the confession of Edem, it was his words against that of the former governor who also a close associate of erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo. According to the sources, however, the police could not take any rash decision without hearing from the former governor as Edem's claim might be a ploy to cover up allegations of fraud. Sunday Vanguard, however, gathered that the former governor is currently out of the country and that attempts had been made to reach him to return to the country over the matter.
Asked to comment on the authenticity of police allegations that he tried to harm Alaibe and influence Akpabio to award him juicy contracts, as well as spiritually influence the vice president, the suspended NDDC chairman was said to have denied the claims, saying they were just concocted by his political opponents.
He reportedly confessed that he gave the N510million to Perekanbowei Oga, the spiritualist, but explained that it was for his political campaigns. Edem's case is believed to have been further worsened by the fact that the highest level of government is interested in the matter because of its implication for peace in the Niger Delta area where the NDDC carries out its operations hence the inspector general of police, IGP, Mike Okiro, wants to get to the root of the matter.
Last weekend, Okiro had, in a statement, said Edem was arrested by the police over the allegation of paying N510 million out of total contract sum of N800 million to Oga. The statement signed by the Force public relations officer, Agbetrebi Akpoebi (ACP), noted that Oga, alias Matthew Sonoma, a sorcerer, was to spiritually influence Akpabio to award juicy contracts to him, kill Alaibe whom he believes to be an obstacle to having his way on decision making in the NDDC and to work on Jonathan to protect him in the event of any plan to remove him from the board of the commission.
'The chairman's arrest is sequel to his being infuriated by the failure of the sorcerer to meet his above request and consequently demanding the refund of all expenses dissipated in the execution of his alleged plans which he put at about N800 million from Dr. Perekambowei who however stood his ground that the contract sum has not been completed. The police is currently investigating the entire saga, with specificattention at unearthing the source of the large sum of money involved', the statement said.