Where are the 25 exotic cars which the embattled promoter of Atlantic Energy Concepts Limited, Jide Omokore, allegedly bought for top officials of the Peoples Democratic Party? This is the question operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission put to the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Elder Uche Secondus, who allegedly received the vehicles for onward distribution to other beneficiaries.
Deputy National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Prince Uche Secondus Operatives of the EFCC on Tuesday night arrested Secondus from his Abuja home and detained him overnight in its facility. PDP laments But Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in a swift reaction, lamented the oppressive and unfair treatments against its key leaders by the Federal Government. Secondus was still being interrogated as at the time of filing the story last night. A top official of the anti-graft agency told our source in confidence that the 25 exotic cars, worth over N300 million, were discovered in the course of interrogating Omokore, who had been in EFCC detention for the second week over bogus oil deals worth billions of Naira. The source said: “It was Omokore’s probe that exposed Secondus and we had to go after him. It was in the process of trying to trace where Omokore’s money went to that we found that exotic cars worth over N300 million were bought for distribution to PDP top shots.
“Records show that he (Secondus) was the man who received the vehicles and we really want to know why he got the cars, what they were meant for and who the beneficiaries were.” Asked if the deputy chairman was arrested, the source said he honoured invitation and was taken up on the issues but could not say whether he would be granted administrative bail, having made his statement. Omokore, Jonathan’s ally Omokore, seen in the Nigerian oil industry as a close ally of immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan and former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Madueke, is facing interrogation by EFCC for grabbing oil deals worth billions of Naira without following due process. EFCC is trying to unravel how he beat the system to lift millions of barrels of oil without remitting the full amount to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, thereby denying the government of huge revenue. Besides, Omokore is believed to have used fronts in the NNPC to secure controlling shares in an oil block, thus enriching himself and his firm above national interest. Secondus’ arrest came barely three days after he handed over the leadership of the PDP to the controversial new National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff, in Abuja. He took over the reins of power from Alhaji Adamu Mua’zu, who resigned shortly after President Jonathan lost the presidential election last year. Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lamented oppressive and unfair treatments against its key leaders by the Federal Government.
Targeting PDP leaders The party, in a statement signed by National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon, alerted the nation that the arrest and detention of its Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was part of the grand script by the APC-led Federal Government to decimate the opposition. The party said: ‘’We are also aware that plans have been perfected by the Federal Government to arrest and detain the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and other leaders of the party on imaginary charges. ‘’Indeed, intelligence available to the party shows that the Federal Government, using its various agencies, is bent on destroying any opposition to the ruling party as all indications show that the government is more interested in humiliating the PDP than fighting corruption.” ‘’Finally, we state that this war on the PDP and its leaders has, indeed, gone too far. It has now become a mockery of democratic practice.’’
