The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Chief Olu Falae, has said he would by next week clear the air on his alleged involvement in the controversial arms deal involving the former National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had accused Falae of receiving N100 million from Tony Anenih, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, money it claimed was linked to the former National Security Adviser.
Falae reacted by absolving himself of any wrong doing saying the money he received was for his party, adding that he had never communicated with the former security chief since 1987,when he was Secretary to the Federal Government while Dasuki was Aide-de-Camp, ADC to then military president, General Ibrahim Babangida.
The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, expressed his displeasure with being linked to the raging arms scandal, adding that he had never involved himself in any shady deal all his life.
Falae made this disclosure while addressing SDP followers after the party’s National Executive Council meeting, in Abuja.
Commending party faithfuls for the maturity they have shown since the matter started, Falae said that by the time he presents his own side of the story, those seeking to blackmail him “would permanently shut their mouths and have nothing to say.”
Falae noted that the alliance he entered with the PDP was normal in a democracy, adding that he did same with President Muhammadu Buhari’s defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, in 2007, when the latter ran as its presidential candidate.
He said: “Some people are still writing spurious nonsense but I intend to address the press sometimes next week, probably in Lagos, to tell my story so everybody can hear and the blackmailers can shut up for ever.”
Stating that he never collected any money from Dasuki, the SDP National leader said, “I have said so several times and I will say so now as a believer in God that I did not collect even one naira from Col. Dasuki. Not just that, that I have had absolutely no feelings whatsoever with Col. Dasuki. I think the last time I saw Col. Dasuki must have been in 1987, when he was ADC to General Babangida and I was Secretary to the Federal Government. So we worked together, that was on 1987.That is 29 years ago. So, ladies and gentlemen, please, put your mind at rest. I have nothing to do with Dasuki. I took no money from Dasuki.
“The N100 million they are talking about, it was the money sent by the PDP to our party, SDP, following our endorsement of their presidential candidate. After a hotly debate, we agreed to endorse their candidate and after the endorsement, they said ‘we know that your party hasn’t got money with which to campaign for our candidate. To enable you campaign effectively for him and your candidate, we want to send you some money and I said thank you.’
“And they sent this N100 million which I transferred to the account of your party. And which was used along other funds I raised for the party to conduct the last election. Remember that I set up a committee here which set up the modalities for distributing the money to the various states, depending on the number of candidates, whether you have a governorship candidate, House of Representatives candidates and the rest.”
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