Nnamani denies stealing $41.8 million as Enugu governor

Senate Chairman on Cooperation and Integration in Africa/New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD),
Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani has said the attempt to defame his reputation with reported $41.8 million forfeiture to the United States government remains a fable from his political detractors.

In an interaction with select journalists in Abuja, yesterday, the former Enugu State governor said the allegations are politically motivated.

“2023 politics should be played with every sense of responsibility and loyalty to the nation without bitterness,” Nnamani said.

He remarked that those competing for votes are striving for a better Nigeria, stressing: “If my recent political activities make people uncomfortable, they should know democracy is a matter of choice. It is an open field.

“You choose your lane to play. Every one has a choice; I deserve the right to choose my lane. I do not expect people to infringe on my right of choice.”

The Senator, who is also a Fellow of American Council of Obstetrics and Gynecology, specifically denied that Enugu State, under his watch, received such amount of money as being bandied by his detractors.

He said: “I never met or inherited $41.8 million as governor. From 1999 to 2007, the state government did not have $41.8 million to be stolen or embezzled.

“The allegation is a mere imagination of my accusers, and it is, at best, a beer parlor gossip, because such never happened under my watch as governor. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the U.S. is not looking for me, and no assets of mine have been seized in America.

“Perhaps, what my accusers are quoting was a mere complaint to the U.S. Department of Justice associated with usual interim forfeiture after such complaints. The interim forfeiture was discharged after investigation and judicial review.”