… Quizzes FUNAAB VC, bursar

From Iheanacho Nwosu, Abuja and Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan

Former governor of Imo state, Chief Achike Udenwa was yesterday re-arrested by the  Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over  money he allegedly collected during the 2015 elections.
Udenwa  who served as Imo State coordinator  for the Presidential Campaign Organisation of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) allegedly  collected N350 million  from former senator representing Kaduna South and Director of Finance for the PDP presidential campaign organisation, Nenadi Usman.
He was earlier arrested and quizzed in June.
A source at the anti-graft agency said Udenwa admitted in his statement that he received  the money  on  January 14 and 28, 2015 in three instalments from a company named Joint Trust Dimension Limited.
Recently, the commission charged the same company  alongside Mrs Usman  and the Media Director of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Femi Fani-Kayode before the Federal High Court in Lagos on a similar allegation.
According to the EFCC official who did not want his name mentioned,  Udenwa and one Viola Onwuliri, a former minister of foreign affairs and minister for education (state), who was his deputy at the  Presidential Campaign Organization were the two signatories to the bank account from which the money was allegedly withdrawn.
The source said the former governor was re-arrested because he failed to keep to the condition handed to him when he   was granted administrative bail.
Udenwa was asked to  be reporting to the commission at an appointed time, a directive the source said he failed to observe. He disclosed that the former governor will soon be arraigned.
In a related development, the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, (FUNAAB),  Abeokuta, Prof Olusola Oyewole and the bursar, Moses Ilesanmi, were guests of the anti-graft agency  for many hours yesterday.
The duo were quizzed at the South West zonal office of the agency, Iyaganku, GRA, Ibadan, Oyo State, on allegation of abuse of office and misappropriation of funds. They had arrived the EFCC office at 9:43am.
As at the time of filing this report, the interrogation was still ongoing. The officials were conveyed to the EFCC office by official vehicles of the institution with registration numbers: FUNAAB 50B 143 FG and FUNAAB 50B 08 FG.
Oyewole, a professor of Food Science and Technology, was appointed as VC in 2012, and Ilesanmi, was appointed in September 2011.
The invitation letter signed by Akaninyewa Ezima of EFCC read in part: “The office is currently investigating an alleged case of corruption and abuse of office involving your institution.”
The invitation of the duo follows a petition entitled “Unbridled corruption and betrayal of public trusts,” which was submitted to the Commission by a group under the aegis of Concerned Stakeholders of the institution.
Head, Public Affairs, EFCC, Ibadan Zonal Office, Mr. Ayo Oyewole, who confirmed the incident, could not, however, confirm how long the interrogation would last, saying  the petition was bulky and each of the allegations must be diligently investigated.
He referred the reporter to the official Facebook wall of the agency, on which a release on the grilling of the FUNAAB officials was posted.
Daily Sun gathered that the EFCC is investigating payments made by the university to the governing council of the institution led by Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe, since their appointment in 2013. He was appointed pro-chancellor of the university by former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
But internal sources within FUNAAB alleged that the governing council is being investigated for spending over N250 million for allowances in four years in the university, being purportedly rocked by paucity of funds.
In the same period, the sources alleged the vice chancellor got approvals running into almost N100 million for alleged spurious allowances, which was said to be contrary to government directives on payment of salaries, emoluments and allowances for public officers.