Open Letter To Efcc On N30mllion Theft In Apga
6th October, 2010
The Chairman
Economic and Financial Crime Commission
Wuse Zone 2
Abuja.
Dear Madam,
THE OPERATION OF ILLEGAL ACCOUNT WITH FIDELITY BANK PLC BY CHIEF VICTOR UMEH AND ALHAJI SANI SHINKAFI WITH SOME INEC OFFICIALS IN THE NAME OF ALL PROGRESSIVES GRAND ALLIANCE (APGA)
We wish to report the existence of an illegal Account in the name of All Progressives Grand Alliance in the Fidelity Bank Plc Abuja, operated by Chief Victor Umeh and Alhaji Sani Shinkafi. This Account was opened without due process.
We are in physical possession of the original certificate of registration of the party. This is a vital document which any Bank in Nigeria must sight together with the party's constitution registered with INEC before a legitimate and lawful Account of the party can be opened and operated. The constitution of the party is specific on the officers of the party who are allowed to operate the party Account.
The opening and operation of this illegal account did not meet any of these constitutional and statutory requirements. The duo of Chief Umeh and Alhaji Shinkafi are in conspiracy with some highly placed officers in INEC to receive statutory grants to APGA which were paid into the illegal Account and embezzled thereafter. Statutory grants that have been stolen in this manner are estimated at about N30, 000,000.00 (thirty million naira).
Recently the same ring in INEC led by Barr. Philip Umeadi Jnr, an INEC Commissioner from the same Aniocha Local Government Area of Anambra State as Chief Victor Umeh and Alhaji Abdulahi Kaugama, Secretary of INEC issued a fraudulent letter of recognition to Chief Victor Umeh as National Chairman of APGA. It was claimed in the letter that the courts established Umeh as the National Chairman of the party. (See the letter attached as Appendix 1). This letter was written in spite of an earlier public statement made by INEC which upheld the National Chairmanship of APGA as contained in the constitution of the party registered with the commission. (The INEC public statement is attached as Appendix 2) The latest letter signed by Alhaji Kungama was actually written on the 21st September 2010, but back–dated to 31st August 2010. This act of back–dating an official document borders on the crime of forgery. It is also pertinent to affirm that there is no Court in Nigeria that established Chief Umeh as National Chairman of APGA as falsely claimed in the forged letter.
Immediately Chief Umeh received the contrived and fraudulent letter recognizing him as Chairman of the party he proceeded to advertize in many Nigeria newspapers the nomination fees for various categories of Aspirants for election on the platform of APGA. (See copy of the advertisement attached as Appendix 3).
Since this advertisement which was published along with the letter of recognition appeared on the pages of the newspapers, unwary and innocent Aspirants wishing to contest elections on the platform of the party have been duped of huge sums of money which have been paid into this illegal Account. The lodgments may have been siphoned from the Account as we write this petition.
We urge you to investigate this weighty allegation with dispatch before more crime can be committed using the name of a duly registered political party. We promise to cooperate with you fully in the course of your investigation. This is very critical at this election period that government and all its agencies are looked upon to rid the society of both election and financial fraudsters.
The 2011 general election will suffer avoidable reverses if INEC officials and if pseudo politicians are allowed to roam freely even after such culprits have been reported to the relevant Agency of Government.
Please accept the assurances of our highest esteem.
Yours faithfully,
Chief Chekwas Okorie
National Chairman, APGA