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By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South

INTERNATIONAL legal consultant and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, senatorial candidate, Delta North senatorial district, Ned Nwoko, yesterday, accused the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, of funnelling money to some leaders of the 8th National Assembly to thwart his legitimate claim against the governors, saying the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissioner, EFCC, recovered some of the funds from lawmakers.

Nwoko, while reacting to fresh allegation against him by NGF in a statement by the Director, Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, over Paris Club refund, which his company, Lintas International Limited, handled, said: “The NGF made hurried and futile attempts to cover up the germane, glaring and incontrovertible truths contained in my widely publicized press conference, detailing straight and factual sequences of my legitimate transactions and interventions as a consultant on the now famous Paris Club refunds.

“The NGF is talking about constitutional issues after collecting $86.5 million, N19 billion and $100 million approved for someone else. We have not forgotten how the EFCC recovered some of the funds it funnelled to some leaders of the 8th National Assembly to secure their cooperation in the fraudulent scheme.

“The leadership of the forum is obviously rattled, astounded and stupefied that I raised the issue of the ambush of the Federal Ministry of Justice, intimidation, diversion and misappropriation of $100 million.

“For emphasis, the Federal Government having fully refunded to local governments on the basis of the court judgment Linas International Limited and local governments jointly secured against it in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/130/2013, the President intervened on behalf of the local governments and offered to pay me approximately 55 percent ($350 million) of the total judgment sum of $637million, which he approved for the consultancy fees (for work done by Linas International Limited for local governments’ refunds, which had been fully disbursed by the FGN). This sum was warehoused at the Central Bank of Nigeria in the account of the Federal Ministry of Justice

“As I explained before, the then NGF chairman, Abdulaziz Abubakar of Zamfara State, insisted that half of that money must be paid to NGF or he would generate a crisis and ensure that the payment is frustrated for work done over several years to the benefit of local governments. The ministry firmly supported my resistance to the attempt to intimidate and blackmail me into submission.”