The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday detained a former Imo State Governor Achike Udenwa in connection with alleged financial scandal during last year’s presidential election.
Udenwa was detained following his alleged refusal to keep to the terms of administrative bail which was earlier granted him. The anti-graft agency said the ex-governor will soon be arraigned in court.
According to EFCC, Udenwa has been under investigation as a State Co-ordinator for the Presidential Campaign Organization of PDP in Imo State for collecting N350,000,000 poll cash.
The money was collected from the former senator representing Kaduna South and Director of Finance for the PDP presidential campaign organisation Mrs. Nenadi Usman.
The EFCC said: “The suspect, in his statement to the commission admitted receiving the money via Diamond Bank account No.0058805692 and 005950791 respectively on the 14th and 28th of January 2015 in three separate instalments. He added that the money came from a company named Joint Trust Dimension Limited.
“This same company was charged alongside Mrs. Nenadi Usman and the Media Director of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani Kayode before Federal High Court Lagos on a similar allegation.
“Investigation however revealed that Achike Udenwa and one Viola Onwuliri, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister for Education (state), who was his deputy at the Presidential Campaign Organization, were the two signatories to the Diamond Bank account that received the money.
“Upon his arrest, Udenwa was immediately granted administrative bail by the commission with condition that he should be reporting to the commission at an appointed time. But while enjoying his administrative bail, Udenwa chose to deliberately skip reporting, thereby compelling the commission to revoke his administrative bail pending his arraignment soon.
“Achike Udenwa was a governor of Imo State under the flagship of the Peoples Democratic Party between 1999 and 2007 and became Minister of Commerce and Industry between 2008 and 2010 under Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.”