N2.1b Contract Scam: Senator Nwaoboshi says EFCC’s allegation baseless

Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, PDP, Delta North Friday described allegation made against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) that he perpetrated fraud in the execution of the N2.1billion contract awarded his company, Biderberg Enterprises Limited by the Delta State Government in 2010 as baseless, designed to blackmail and malign him.

According to him, he will continue to speak for his people and Nigerians, just as he said that he is paying for the alleged sins of Senate President Bukola Saraki and he has no regrets, adding that he cannot be silenced even in Jail and warned that government cannot intimidate people to get what it wants in democracy, but has to be through lobby and not force.

Senator Nwaoboshi who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs also refuted the allegation as reported in some of the national dailies Friday that he fraudulently acquired a 12-storey building belonging to Delta State in Apapa Lagos in collaboration with his younger brother, Augustine Nwaoboshi reportedly accused of operating over 20 bank accounts for fraudulent purposes.

Addressing Journalists Friday in Abuja, Senator Nwaoboshi who noted that he is the wrong person to be taken on by the EFCC, said that he was being sought after because he spoke on the floor of the Senate that screening process must follow a procedure and must adhere strictly to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to him, the whole thing borders on vendatta against him by the EFCC based on his recent position and that of the Senate on the rejection of the nomination of the Acting Chairman of the agency, Ibrahim Magu.

It was reported that the anti graft body in its investigation of the N2.1billion contract awarded the Senator and his brother, found out that they allegedly supplied used equipment to the Ministries of Environment and Transport as against new ones paid for, from which they heavily raked the state government.

Nwaoboshi said, “Why is EFCC as reported by the Nation and Vanguard Newspapers today (yesterday), coming up against me now over contracts diligently and transparently executed 7 years ago by my company if not for misplaced vendatta that cannot in any way silence me or compromise my principled stance over some salient national issues before the senate.

“Delta State government that awarded the contract is not complaining nor any notable stakeholders in the state. So what interest is EFCC serving over the matter when nobody from the state had raised any issue bordering on corruption as far as the contract is concerned or the 12-storey building bought in Lagos which was not undervalued as being alleged.

“Even the other issue reportedly raised by EFCC as regards multiple bank accounts by my brother is ridiculous because there is no law in the land that limits the number of bank accounts any individual in the society should have.”

Senator Nwaoboshi who declared that signatory to such multiple bank accounts allegedly owned by his junior brother was not his, as being alleged by EFCC, however condemned the agency for rushing to the press to spread falsehood against him without any needed interface with him and his brother as practised world wide as far as investigation is concerned describing the style as one the reasons the Senate stood against Magu’s confirmation.

Nwaoboshi said, “No doubt with what I’ve read in the papers against me today from EFCC, Magu is at it again but unfortunately for him, this cannot silence me and back out of the Senate’s collective decision against his confirmation and let me add that as a lawyer of 27 years, Magu and his cohorts shall definitely meet me in court”.