Jonathan, PDP owe decoration firm N360m

The Punch - Nigeria

Less than 48 hours to the inauguration of a new administration, the company which handled the contract for the decoration of Peoples Democratic Party presidential campaigns in all the states of the federation on Wednesday threatened to drag President Goodluck Jonathan and the party to court over unpaid debts estimated at N360m.
The decoration firm has, however, scheduled a protest for today (Thursday) at the PDP Headquarters in Wadata House, Abuja to possibly prevail on the party to release its funds.
The Managing Director of Twinkles World Ltd., Mr. Tunde Agarawu, and the Project Coordinator, Mr. Awonaiya Olayemi, at a press briefing in Abuja, said their lawyer had already issued a seven-day ultimatum on the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation within which to offset the debt or face a legal action.
Agarawu said since Jonathan lost the presidential election to Muhammadu Buhari, he and the PDP hierarchy had failed to pay most debts incurred for the campaigns.
He alleged that Prof. Jerry Gana and other members of the PDPPCO deliberately withheld their money, even though a directive had been given by the immediate-past chairman of the party, Adamu Mu’azu, that the debts be cleared.
While several efforts by journalists to get Jerry Gana for response were not successful, calls and text messages to his Personal Assistant, Mr. James Agbo, over the same matter were not replied.
Agarawu, who said no mobilisation fund was given to them before the commencement of the project, added that banks and corporate bodies where they sourced loans to execute the project were already demanding for payment of their funds.