*Amount Is Worth Over N200bn Presently
*’It’s What Happened. And I Had Said That As CEO Of The Bank That Time, He Was Going To Leave The Money In Naira, And He Came To Me And I Said ‘No, This Naira You Want To Keep, Naira Will Keep Losing Value. So You Probably Want To Convert It To Dollars -And It Was Converted’
Confirmation has come that presidential candidate of Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Peter Obi, indeed lodged $155 million in a bank as savings for Anambra State, where he was Governor, as he exited office.
This was disclosed by Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the bank at the time, Alex Otti, who is now Governor of Abia State.
Otti belongs to the Labour Party (LP) presently.
He said he stands by a statement he made in 2020 concerning Obi’s handling of the $155 million while he was Anambra State Governor.
The integrity issue linked to Obi’s alleged treatment of the money, now worth over N200 billion, has rocked the social media space with his political rivals latching onto it to question his much-vaunted uprightness in handling of public funds -a key aspect of his campaign strategy.
Clarifying the situation during an interview with Arise Television while responding to questions about the statement, which he said was written on 8 June 8, Gov. Otti said it was intended to demonstrate that it was possible for public officials to be prudent in managing government resources.
His words: “They are referring to what I wrote in 2020. I think that was June 8, 2020. I was using it to prove that it’s still possible for people to be prudent in government.
“It’s an account of what happened. And I had said that as the CEO of the bank at that time, he was going to leave the money in Naira, and when he came to me and I said ‘no, this Naira you want to keep, Naira will keep losing value. So you probably want to convert it to dollars’ –and it was converted.
“So it’s a statement of fact, and it’s something that happened several years, six years ago. So I haven’t spoken again, and so that’s what they are referring to.”
