A defence witness, Maichivi
Vwarji, a former Plateau State deputy chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP, on Thursday, October 13, 2016, told Justice Adebukola Banjoko of the FCT
High Court sitting in Gudu, Abuja how a former governor of Plateau State,
Joshua Dariye, donated the sum of N66million to the party in the State.
During examination by the
defence counsel, G. S. Pwul, SAN, Vwarji, who is the sixth defence witness,
DW6, told the court that they used to organise a fund-raiser before the
formation of the party in the state in 2001.
Vwarji, who decamped to the
All Progressives Party, APC, about a year ago, added that dues were paid by
members after they were elected into offices.
The DW6 also told the court
that the state party received the sum of N66million for disbursement to 274
wards in the State.
Recalling how the party
received the N66million donation from the defendant, Vwarji said, ‘‘before we
were given this money, the chairman, Abu Shindai, attended a National Executive
Council, NEC, meeting in Abuja. When he came back to Plateau State, he called
for an executive meeting and announced that the national chairman of the Party
had told him that the governor (Dariye) was going to give the party some money.
‘‘Then, the governor, an
executive member of the Party, came to the Party Secretariat and gave us the
sum of N66million. He said we should share it among all the wards in the local
government councils. It was given to the local government chairmen to
distribute to the various wards.’’
Though, he told the court
that he did not know the source of the money, he said it was shared according
to the number of wards in respective local governments.
‘‘We have 17 local
governments; we have both federal and state wards. It was given to about 300
wards,’’ Vwarji added.
Under cross-examination by
the counsel to the EFCC, Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, Vwarji said the N66million was
received by the financial secretary of the Party, who handed it over to the
treasurer.
However, Jacobs faulted
Vwarji’s claim that the Party’s Chairman, Shindai, had attended the NEC meeting
in Abuja, where it was decided that the governor should give the money to the Party
in the state.
According to Jacobs, ‘‘you
told my Lord that the chairman whom you deputised has been sick for 20
years. You said he can’t stand up or perform his functions as a
politician. You also said that he can’t hold the meetings of the party in
the last 20 years. I, therefore, put it to you that you are not correct
to say that the chairman attended a meeting in 2001 in Abuja, where the
decision was taken regarding the money. If you calculate 20 years from now, it
then means he must have been sick since 1996.’’
When asked if he knew that
there is a law regulating the kind of donation that can be received by a
political party, Vwarji, who claimed to have been a politician for 40
years, told the court that, “as far as I am concerned, if a Party member
donates to the Party, it will be accepted from him or her.’’
He further told the court
that though he did not personally receive the money from the defendant, he was
present when the defendant made the announcement.
He stated that, ‘‘it was
counted in my presence. Some were in N500 denomination, while some were
in N1000 denomination. The money was received by the financial secretary.’’
Consequently, Jacobs told
the court that the DW6 had lied, adding that ‘‘both denominations were
introduced by the government after 2001. So, I put it to you that, you lied
when you said the money was counted in your presence.’’
While still answering
further questions from Jacobs, Vwarji claimed that he did not know that the
money belonged to the Plateau State government, saying, ‘‘the origin of the
money was not disclosed to us.’’
However, Jacobs drew the
attention of the court to page 10 of Exhibit P 13(a), where the defendant had
claimed that he collected the sum of N1.16billion as State’s ecological fund
and gave the Party N66million.
Jacobs, therefore, asked
Vwarji if it was right for a State governor to donate government money to a
political party in the State.
In response, Vwarji said,
‘‘other Parties in the State could not get such money because they were not in
power. So, if the governor of a ruling Party in a State decides to donate money
to the party, it is in order. The Party was in power, and it benefited from the
State governor, who was a member of the Party.’’
Justice Banjoko,
thereafter, adjourned to Monday, October 17, 2016 for further hearing.
Dariye is being prosecuted
by the EFCC for allegedly siphoning the state’s ecological fund to the tune of
N1.16 billion.
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