Ngilari denies link with N450 million PDP campaign fund

The immediate past governor of Adamawa State, Mr. James Bala Ngilari has once again denied claims that he ordered the collection and distribution of the N450 million Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign funds meant for Adamawa State.

Ngilari, who was recently invited and detained for two days last week by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) was reacting to claims by a former Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, Hassan Adamu and the PDP chairman in Adamawa State, Joel Madaki that they collected the money from Fidelity Bank, Yola branch and deposited it in the accounts Department of Adamawa Government House on the instruction of the governor.

Refuting the claims by the two key officials of the party in the state, Ngilari, while addressing newsmen in Abuja, said the claims were not correct as he was not in Yola, when the money in question was released, and he never saw the money as he was bereaved when the money was collected from the Yola Branch of Fidelity Bank.

However, he blamed his ordeal in the hands of the operatives of the anti-graft agency in Gombe for what he called external forces bent on destroying him, and even threatening to eliminate him physically.

The former governor recalled that he had received a call from the Director of Finance of the PDP presidential campaign, former Minister Nenadi Usman asking him for the name of the state PDP chairman and the telephone number of Ambassador Hassan Adamu, a member of the Board of Trustees of the PDP.

He said that it was around March 23 when he returned from a visit to his Senatorial District that he received the sad news of the death of his mother, who had been staying with him, and, therefore, only left the house on the 28th to cast his vote.