This is authoritative – immediate-past governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, maintains a flat in the controversial Osborne, Ikoyi, Lagos property where the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission recently uncovered N15 billion stashed in one of the flats.
Hear the billionaire former governor’s media aide, Valentine Obienyem, on the unfolding drama which has continued to give birth to new twists and turns daily. Beginning by confirming that his boss indeed occupies a flat there, he said:
‘I was actually on my way to the airport for speaking engagements of Mr. Peter Obi in the U.K. and the USA, when, because of the discovery of huge amount of money in the public building where he lives in Lagos, I had to abort my own trip to monitor events -answering the EFCC and related stuff.
Today, they searched the flats of everybody living in the building. My boss lives in flat 1 and the money was found in flat 7. I have been inundated with calls to confirm the search, hence this reaction.’
Undone, he added that Obi’s flat, which he claimed belongs to his wife, Margaret, was not the only one searched by EFCC operatives.
‘Even though Mr. and Mrs Obi had travelled to the USA and the U.K. for speaking engagements, when we relayed the message of the search to him, he quickly sent the keys to the 4-bedroom apartment to the EFCC via courier. He even left instructions that we should allow them to also search his Onitsha residence should there be need for that. After the thorough searching, nothing was found in the apartment’.
Nigerians have been in awe ever since the monumental discovery was made. And prior to the mentioning of Obi’s name, those of NIA, Mo Abudu, Rivers State Government, Rotimi Amaechi, Goodluck Jonathan and Adamu Muazu had been hugging the news.