Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, on Tuesday, while appearing before the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Abuja, to testified in the to the ongoing trial of ex-Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, revealed that the documents used in paying international election observers the sum of $6.2m was forged. Appearing as prosecution witness 2, on Tuesday, 13th of February, 2024, Mustapha said he knew nothing about the transaction up till the time he left office at the end of May 2023, adding that having served for five years and seven months, the document in contention didn’t emanate from the office of the then President Muhammadu Buhari. The former SGF, Boss Mustapha stated that all the time he served in government, he never heard of the term “Special Appropriation Provision.” Boss Mutapha noted that the two terms known to him are “Appropriation” and “Supplementary”. Mustapha also said that “in all the correspondences he ever received from former President Buhari, he never concluded with “Please accept with my highest regard,” saying the signature was a failed attempt at reproducing Buhari’s signature. According to Mustapha, the Federal Government has no business with the payment of foreign election observers. To him, the Federal Executive Council decisions are not transmitted by letters. Recall that on Monday, a deputy director with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Michael Onyeka Ogbu, narrated before Justice Hamza Muazu of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting at Maitama, Abuja, how the bank released $6,230,000 for the payment of some international election observers before the 2023 general election. Ogbu, currently the Head of the Service Delivery Division of CBN, told the court while giving his evidence-in-chief that the sum of $6,230,000 was released by the bank because the request documents showed evidence of approvals by the then President Muhammadu Buhari and Emefiele. Emefiele is being prosecuted, in the case marked CR/577/2023, on an amended 20-count charge bordering on conferment of corrupt advantage, forgery, criminal breach of trust, conspiracy to obtain by false pretence and obtaining money by false pretense.
Emefiele is accused of allegedly forging a document titled: Re: Presidential Directive on Foreign Election Observer Missions dated 26 January, 2023 with Ref No. SGF.43/L.01/201 and purported same to have emanated from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to the Governor of the CBN.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune
