Firm sues PDP, Ali, over N70m campaign debt

A firm, Silon Concepts Limited, has sued the Peoples Democratic Party and two officials of its Presidential campaign organisation for their alleged refusal to pay it an outstanding N70m balance for a campaign contract.

It filed its suit marked CV/2017/15 before the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja on Thursday.‎

The plaintiff is demanding full payment for the ‘voice SMS campaign broadcast’ ‎it sent to eligible voters on behalf of the PDP’s Presidential candidate, former President Goodluck Jonathan, before the March 28, 2015 Presidential poll.

The two other members of the ‎campaign organisation who are defendants are the chairman, Ahmadu Ali, and director of finance, Senator Nenadi Usman.

‎In addition to the demand for the N70m balance, the plaintiff asks the court to compel the defendants to pay to it the sum of N15m as the cost of the suit.

The plaintiff’s prayers read, “An order compelling the defendants to pay the plaintiff the sum of N70m being the outstanding balance for the contract executed by the plaintiff for the defendants.

“An order compelling the defendants to pay N15m being the cost of the suit.

“An or‎der compelling the defendants to pay the bank an annual interest rate of 10 per cent on the sum of N70m until the said sum is fully liquidated.”

The plaintiff claimed that‎ the PDP, through Ali, agreed to pay it N100m for a contract of sending ‘Voice SMS campaign broadcast’ to eligible voters as part of the campaign for the party’s Presidential candidate.

The PDP and its candidate eventually lost the March Presidential election to President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.

Both the statement of claim filed by Mr. B.I Dakum of the Festus Keyamo Chambers, on behalf of the plaintiff and a supporting affidavit deposed to by ‎the Managing Director of Silon Concepts Limited, Mr. Sylvester Odion, stated that the PDP only paid N20m as initial payment instead of N30m as agreed.

They stated that the said N20m was paid to the plaintiff by Usman through a cheque of a company, Joint Dimension Nigeria Limited, whose account, Usman is the sole signatory to.

Odion stated that the PDP had agreed to pay the full balance for the contract to his company before the election.

He stated however that following a demand for the money through Keyamo’s law firm, the party only issued a cheque of N10m to his company on May 19, 2015, remaining a balance of N70m.

Odion’s affidavit read in part, “That I know the plaintiff’s offer was accepted by the defendants on March 5, 2015 wherein it agreed to pay the plaintiff the sum of N100m only for the project.

“That I know that the terms of its engagement as clearly highlighted in the defendants letter of engagement, the approved sum of N100m only was to be paid before the kick-off of the project but only the sum of N20m was released to it for the take off with the promise to pay the balance before the 2015 Presidential election.

“That I know the said sum of N20m was paid to the plaintiff by 3rd defendant (Usman) through a cheque of a company known as Jointrust Dimension Nig. Ltd of which the 3rd defendant is the sole signatory.

“That considering the caliber of the persons involved the plaintiff had no cause to doubt the credibility of the offer.

“That the plaintiff went ahead and executed the project successfully with continued assurance from the defendants that the balance will be made available in no distant time.

“That the defendants failed to honour their words and could not pay the balance and the plaintiff made demand (letter dated March 26, 2015)  for payment of the balance through the office of the then 1st defendant’s chairman Board of Trustees and adviser, Presidential campaign organisation (Chief Tony Anenih).

“That the defendant could not pay the balance notwithstanding the said demand but only issued another cheque of N10m to the plaintiff on May 19, 2015.

“That I know the plaintiff held series of meetings with the defendants before and after the issuance of the last cheque demanding the payment of the balance but the defendants remained adamant.”

The case has not been assigned to a judge and the defendants have yet to file their responses.