Islamic Organizations Reveal How Jonathan’s Men Offered Them $3m To Support His Re-election

Two Islamic organisations have revealed how they rejected $3 million offered by officials of the past Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, administration to secure their members support towards the re-election of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
Abdullahi Shuaib, the Coordinator of the Conference of Islamic Organisations, CIO, made the startling revelation at the weekend during the 22nd National Islamic Training Programme NITP, held at Odosengolu near Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State.

Mr. Shuaib said the CIO and The Muslim Congress, TMC, rejected the money after they were offered under the label of “religious fund”.

“It is not a secret, they came, offering us over $3 million,” he said. “We said no….It came through their proxies to us and we said no. And today we have been vindicated”.

Mr. Shuaib, who is also the Executive Director/CEO, Zakat and Sadaqat foundation, an arm of TMC, added that “it is not even part of our own culture to take bribe. We prefer to go hungry than to collect a bribe from somebody and then eat what is unlawful”.

Shedding more light on why the Conference of Islamic Organisations rejected the money, the official added that “because we know very well that it was bait; it was a poison and you cannot eat and dine with the devil and think the devil will not come after you.

“We said clearly no. It is completely un-Islamic. All those organisations that actually took and swallowed the bait, today, they all know what it means for them to have allowed the devil and themselves to eat and dine with the devil”.

The disclosure seems to conform with investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, that Nigeria’s former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, who is currently standing trial for mismanagement and diversion of about $2.1 billion funds for purchase of military equipment and other security hardware, allegedly gave over N4 billion of the money to ex-governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, to distribute to Islamic organisations.

Apart from Dasuki and Bafarawa, others being prosecuted in the scandal now known as ‘Dasukigate’ include ex-PDP national chairman, Haliru Mohammed, and Raymond Dokpesi, the founder of Daar Communications.

Mr. Shuaib condemned all those who collected the funds from the embattled former NSA.

“It is morally wrong, it is unethical for any organisation, either Muslim or Christian or traditionalist to have indulged in that reckless looting of treasury, the common wealth and there is no way they can exonerate themselves because they have desecrated the house of God because they symbolise the House of God and they have desecrated it and it is a sacrilege and it is wrong.

“Ethically it is wrong, morally it is wrong, socially, it is wrong, economically it is wrong, legally it is wrong. And I think, we should allow the long arm of the law to catch up with them and let the law take it cause over them”, he said.