Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State, is still under investigation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has said.
Wilson Uwujaren, spokesman to the EFCC told The PUNCH newspaper that Ize-Iyamu is being investigated for his alleged role in the disbursement of N23 billion during the 2015 PDP presidential campaigns.
The money, which emanated from a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, was alleged to have been part of stolen crude oil funds and kickbacks from contractors.
Part of the money was allegedly used in bribing officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission during the 2015 general elections.
The Punch reported that Ize-Iyamu had told journalists that as the campaign director for the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation in Edo State during the 2015 presidential election, he handled N700 million for the party.
He said that the money was not enough as someone had to bring more money from his personal purse to help them in their task.
“I told them (EFCC) who got what: that we needed money for transportation; mobilisation of our people; some of them that had to leave Benin to their polling units in the rural areas, and that the state chairman of the party worked out a realistic budget.
“And that by the time we looked at what they brought and what we had in mind, it became clear that the N700m would not be enough. Our leader volunteered to make up the difference, which he brought from his house,” Ize-Iyamu was quoted as saying at the time.
He was reportedly asked to return some money to the commission, but was not detained, fuelling speculations that he had been cleared by the anti-graft agency.
But Uwajuren, the EFCC spokesman said: “I can confirm to you that he (Ize-Iyamu) is still under investigation.
The EFCC has questioned about 16 other former governors and ministers over the alleged N23 billion Diezani scam.
Some of them included the immediate past Governor of Kebbi State, Saidu Dakin Garin; former Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State; former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of Kano State; former Governor Ali Modu Sheriff of Borno State; former Governor James Ngilari of Adamawa State; a former Governor of Zamfara State, Mamuda Shinkafi; a former Governor of Cross River State, Senator Liyel Imoke; and a former Minister of State for Finance, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda.
During the election, each state was said to have received at least N450 million from the fund, which was handled by ministers or governors who were members of the PDP.
Some states reportedly received more than N450 million.