HOW JUMOKE AKINJIDE ALLEGEDLY MISMANAGED N110 MILLION ATIKU’S RALLY FUND
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS reports that a financial scandal over alleged mismanagement of PDP’s N120 million presidential rally fund is brewing in Oyo State and at the centre of the emerging scandal is Oloye Jumoke Akinjide,former Minister of Federal Capital Territory,Abuja.
Former Oyo State governor, Rashidi Ladoja,was alleged to have provided cover for Oloye Akinjide by serving as the person receiving rally fund only to turn over the money to Akinjide who allegedly excluded other party chieftains in the decision-making over the fund.
Sources told this medium that the sum of N119 million was released by the PDP national office in Abuja, but Akinjide allegedly declared only N106 million.
The money was said to have arrived in Ibadan in dollars which Femi Babalola (aka Jogor) a former PDP chieftain converted into naira at N700 per dollar,which is far below the rate of dollar to naira exchange of N735.
Once Chief Ladoja allegedly passed the rally fund to Akinjide, she moved quickly without consultation with other party chiefs gave N30 million to party at the state level and another N20 million to PDP party candidates for senatorial and House of Representatives candidates.
It was, however, learnt that the PDP headquarters had earlier given the party at state level N50 million for mobilisation.
Besides, Oloye Akinjide allegedly gave the state party exco another N3 million as pocket money. All this is without the knowledge of other party members.
In her defence, Oloye Jumoke said she was advised by Abuja to carry the party along.
Also,Oloye Akinjide allegedly disbursed funds through his secretary, one Lekan, to different people who supplied neither goods nor services for the rally.
For instance, about N3 million was given out for food, which was not delivered. A large sum of money was paid for bottled water, but hardly was any free bottled water seen at the rally venue.
Multiple people, mainly her aides, were given millions of naira for mobilisation of the same set of people and up till now, party members from Oke-Ogun, Oyo, Ogbomoso and Ibarapa are still complaining that they have not been given money for the buses they hired and the money promised supporters.
One of her political associates, one Maroof Akinwande, was accused of receiving N1.7 million for mobilization of Oyo supporters, which he pocketed. When he was confronted, he said he only received N740,000.
The rally fund was alleged to have been mismanaged , and Accord Party members at Chief Ladoja benefitted. Nureni Adisa, an Accord Party chieftain who appeared on the scene that day received N1.5 million, another Accord Party chieftain, got N500,000 for T-shirts that were allegedly not delivered
Sources also said that Oloye Akinjide knowing well that Governor Seyi Makinde is opposed to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition kept telling the candidate and party chieftains that Makinde will support Atiku, while the former even after the rally has refused to mention Atiku’s name during his statewide campaign.
Last Monday, she was alleged to have tried to hoodwink the wife of the PDP presidential candidate, Mrs. Titi Abubakar that Makinde is 100 per cent behind Atiku.
There are concerns that Oloye Akinjide’s ambition is strengthened by her desire to hijack Atiku’s presidential campaign structure in Oyo State, ensure that election fund is passed to her through ex-governor Ladoja and eventually smoothened her path towards being chosen as minister if and when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar wins the February 25 presidential election.
Contacted,the former FCT Minister availed our reporter detailed how the sum of N106,822,000 was disbursed to various beneficiaries at the rally.
She described the allegation as utter fabrication,stressing that she added her own money in line with her usual practice.
She confirmed that the money released was only N110m.
She said:”Don’t let yourself be used for blackmail and gutter journalism. I trust You’re better than that.This is why decent people avoid politics and public life. But I won’t be frightened off and leave the political space to touts and louts. Nigeria and our future generations deserve better”
Sources close to the former governor,Rasheed Ladoja,also denied that he was used as a former vehicle to move money to the attendees at the rally.
