Former Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta during the Goodluck Jonathan administration, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, has said contrary to the claim by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) under his watch did not violate the Procurement Act.
The ex-presidential aide also said that the anti-graft agency has violated valid and subsisting court orders by writing the Attorney General of the Federation to commence his extradition process from the United States of America.
Kuku, in a statement he personally signed, explained that the EFCC was wrong to accuse him of violating the Procurement Act because the Federal Government treated the Presidential Amnesty Programme as a security intervention programme and therefore approved a waiver for it in accordance with the Procurement Act.
“My office had the requisite approval to award contracts above the threshold and there are documents to support this. The latest false accusation by the EFCC is just to further my media trial and deliberately criminalise my service to Nigeria.
“The allegation that I misappropriated N6.2billion is yet another lie against me from the pit of hell. In truth, contracts worth over N6 billion were awarded to Hon. Chibudom Nwuche’s Foundation for Youth Development (FYD) over a period of three years. But only about N2.5 billion was released to the FYD after the relevant and mandatory bonds and regulations were complied with by the procurement and finance departments, which were manned by competent Directors of the Federal Civil Service.
“Unfortunately, the former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives breached the contract by diverting the money into a failed governorship and senatorial bid in Rivers State on one hand and the purchase of a marine vessel for his frivolous private maritime transactions on the other hand,” Kuku said.
He insisted that the Amnesty Office under his watch got no loan(s) from Nwuche, any individual, groups or agencies as it was adequately funded by the federal government.
“I wonder how Nwuche, a lawyer and former legislator, could concoct such falsehood that he gave a loan to my office after defrauding the governmment. If it was indeed a loan, why did he agree with the EFCC to refund the money? Why did he refund N100 million as first installment with a promise to pay the balance? Why is he now desperate to blackmail the EFCC having tried unsuccessfully to recruit the police Special Fraud Investigation Unit in Lagos to blackmail me?
“Why did he also withdraw his frivolous suit against me in court and turn around to accuse the EFCC for a legal search on his home by the Police for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition? Nwuche should be held responsible for his contractual irresponsibility as his plan to evade justice by defecting to the APC has failed.”
Kuku further stated that any action taken on these allegations by the Attorney General, the EFCC or any other security and investigative agency of government would be in violation of the ruling in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1482/2015 of the Lagos High Court as well as the restraining order of the FCT High Court.
“In all these matters, these agencies were duly represented in court and were served Order 48 to avoid a contemptuous violation,” he said.
