2023 Igbo Presidency Movement Allegedly Enmeshed in Financial Scam

Posted by Ignatius Okpara African News, Featured, Latest Headlines, News, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Sunday, November 8th, 2020

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Barely few weeks a group Championing the 2023 Igbo presidency project was dragged to court by an indigene of the zone, over alleged financial scam.

An Abuja based lawyer, Barrister Nkem Okoro, has also petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, (IGP,) Mohammed Adamu, asking him to investigate the said fraudulent activities of the Coordinator of the body, Rev. Okechukwu Obioha.

The petition against Okechukwu, who was a former National Chairman of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) is at the instance of Mr. Obiezu Nwachukwu, from the South-east Nigeria, and other members of a group, Youths For Better Nigeria, a non-governmental organization focused on transparency, accountability and unity of Nigeria.

They informed the Nigeria’s police Chief that Okechukwu was allegedly using the Igbo presidency project to extort money from unsuspecting members of the society using a cooperative society, South-East For President 2023, SEFORP2023.

The group argued that “SEFORP2023, is a registered acronym under the Nigerian Cooperative Societies Act.

“It is further our client’s instructions, that by the said Act, cooperative societies are only limited to the socio economic interest of its members as provided in the Act, and the registered bye law of every cooperative society.

“Hence, cooperative societies are forbidden from meddling or dabbling into politics, infraction of which is a criminal offence.”

The petitioners, said: “he converted the cooperative society to a political group, through which he has consistently been extorting monies from unsuspecting Southeast politicians on the guise of organizing conferences and seminars for the emergence of a southeast president, in 2023.

“It is further our client’s instructions that the said Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obioha has also been using the said group to illegally recruit youths preparatory to the 2023 presidential elections.

The document stated further that “Our client believes that recruiting youths preparatory to the 2023 presidential election, will likely cause a breach of public peace and violence.

“It is further our client’s instructions, that upon the registration of the SEFORP2023, in 2019, by the said Okechukwu Christopher Obioha, that he opened several bank accounts using the registered name through which he has been laundering huge sums of monies extorted from the unsuspecting politicians.

“It is further our client’s instructions, that the said Okechukwu Christopher Obioha, who is also the president of SERFOP2023, has printed flyers by which he has consistently been misleading and extorting monies from politicians of the southeast extraction in the guise of organizing conferences.”

“The said Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obioha has deceived people into believing that the cooperative society of which he is the president, is a political group formed for the realization of Igbo presidency in 2023, whereas the group is registered as a cooperative society, for the socioeconomic benefits of only its registered members alone.

“It is, therefore, on the basis of the immediate and imminent dangers posed by the said Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obioha, using the registered cooperative society, to defraud members of the public and also training youths for the take-over of the presidency in 2023, that we deemed it necessary to write to your esteemed office .

They urged the IGP, to carry out investigation of the fraudulent and illegal activities of the said Rev Okechukwu Christopher Obioha, with a view to saving unsuspected Nigeria’s from falling victims in his hand.