EFCC Confirms That “Yobe Governor, Gaidam’s ADC Paid N15m Bribe Into Account Of INEC REC Before Election”

The Yobe State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday admitted the Economic and Financial Crime Commission’s report of investigation into the allegation that the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Abu Zarma, was bribed by Governor Ibrahim Gaidam, in the wake of the April 11, 2015 election.

EFCC’s investigator, Christopher Odofin, told the tribunal on Wednesday that though, his team’s investigation had yet to be completed, it had been discovered that Gaidam’s Aide-de-Camp, Zakari Deba, actually paid N15m into Zarma’s account but that the REC instructed his bank to reverse the transactions.

Odofin said part of the recommendations, which the commission had reached was that Deba, an Assistant Superintendent of Police, should be prosecuted.

The Peoples Democratic Party and its governorship candidate in the state, Adamu Waziri, had filed their petition before the Justice Mojisola Dada-led tribunal, seeking the nullification of the April 11 poll, which they alleged was marred by electoral malpractices and corrupt practices.

The petitioners had alleged and tendered exhibits of how N15m was allegedly lodged in two tranches by Gaidam’s Aide-de-Camp, Zakari Deba, into Zarma’s account with Diamond and Zenith banks.

Odofin, an investigating officer attached to the Economic Governance Team 7 of the EFCC, told the three-man panel that the N15m was actually lodged into Zarma’s two accounts with Zenith and Diamond banks, but that the lodgments were reversed some days later, when the REC protested.

Odofin appeared before the tribunal in response to a subpoena directed at the EFCC Secretary, Emmanuel Aremo.

The EFCC investigator, who said he was part of the investigating team handling the case, said though the exercise had not been concluded, the team had made substantial discoveries and had also made some recommendations.

He said his team discovered that on April 8, three days to the April 11, 2015 governorship election, Deba (Gaidam’s ADC and the fifth respondent to the election petition) caused a Diamond Bank’s Assistant Branch Manager (Damaturu), Bamaji Mohammed Kukawa to pay N7m and N8m into Zarma’s accounts with Diamond and Zenith Banks respectively.

Odofin added that on April 9, Zarma complained to both banks, in writing, that wrong deposits were made into his accounts, to which the banks’ management’s asked him to issue cheques in the amounts deposited, to enable them to reverse the transactions.

He said their investigation also revealed that Zarma equally wrote, on April 29 to the Chairman of INEC, complaining about the strange cash deposits into his accounts.

“From our investigation so far, we found that there was clear and concerted attempt by Deba and Kukawa to financially induce Zarma to get favour.

“We recommend that Deba and Kukawa be prosecuted for attempting to bribe Zarma,” he added.

Odofin said the conclusion and recommendations contained in the report were based on their findings to far.

He said the investigators did not recommend Zarma for prosecution.

The tribunal adjourned till Thursday for further proceedings.