#800 BILLION CAMPAIGN FUNDS SPARK CRISIS AMONG GOVERNORS

The crisis that recently engulfed Progressive Governors’ Forum was said to have stemmed from alleged misappropriation of over N800 billion reportedly raised by the members of the Forum to financially support president Tinubu’s reelection campaign.

The source who disclosed this on the condition of anonymity said although President Tinubu has waded in to resolve the feud and restore legitimacy to the Hope Uzodinma’s and Uba Sani’s leadership of the PGF.

Before the President Tinubu’s intervention, the was an allegation that the Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma and Kaduna State counterpart Uba Sani misappropriated the alleged funds, which resulted to the factionalization of the forum.

The Kwara state governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Ogun state governor, Dapo Abiodun and others, sought to replace governor Uzodinma with governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state.

Earlier, the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma was allegedly triggered suspicion among the Progressive Governors Forum members by acting evasively when asked to account for the funds in his custody as Chairman.

The alleged evasiveness of the Imo Governor led to the conspiracy against his leadership as well as the failed attempt to replace him by those who felt disgruntled by his leadership lack of transparency and accountability.

Unnamed claimed that the members of the PGF had agreed to contribute the said funds through a monthly deduction from their respective states’ Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and paid into a bank account under the control of governor Hope Uzodinma for the Renewed Hope Ambassadors (RHA) support group.

This evasiveness led to the conspiracy against his leadership as well as the failed attempt to replace him by those who felt disgruntled by his leadership lack of transparency and accountability.

The Imo Governor was alleged to have conveyed the agreement by the members of the PGF to the then minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, Wale Edun, urging him to authorize the monthly deductions from the monthly allocations of the contributing states.

According to the report, the trouble stated when the members of Progressive Governors Forum sought to implement a proposed campaign strategy for president Tinubu, which involved floating another campaign group to be funded from the Money raised by the PGF. Hence, when the Imo Governor was reportedly told to provide funds for the formation of the new campaign group, he allegedly told them that all funds are exhausted.