An All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Paul Chukwuma, in the forthcoming 2025 Anambra State elections, has denied allegations of money laundering involving $378,000 levelled against him.

According to an online report, the Federal High Court in Abuja had purportedly ordered the forfeiture of $378,000 and a Mercedes Benz Maybach linked to Chukwuma.

The assets were alleged to be proceeds of unlawful activities, attributed to his role as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fides Et Ratio Academy Limited.

The forfeiture decision was reportedly made by Justice Emeka Nwite following a motion ex-parte presented by the counsel for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Osuobeni Akponimisingha.

In response, Chukwuma dismissed the allegations as baseless during an interactive session with journalists at his Umueri country home in Anambra East Local Government Area on Thursday.

He attributed the claims to political opponents attempting to derail his ambition to govern Anambra State.

Chukwuma maintained that the money in question was legitimately earned by his company through a Federal Government contract, emphasising that all relevant documents were in the custody of the ICPC.

He said, “People should be ready to contest for election, you don’t need to use any instrument of government to intimidate anybody. I cannot be intimidated by anybody. I am going to win my party’s ticket and go ahead to win the governorship election and offer dividend of democracy to Ndi Anambra.”

Chukwuma further clarified that the funds were in his company’s account and had been legally acquired through a project involving Intellectual Property Rights. He noted that his firm had worked with TETFund to deliver the project to Nigerian students.

“This is just the work of political detractors trying to bring me down, but I will not be intimidated by them. I will win my party’s ticket and ultimately win the election. No one can stop or intimidate me because my records are clear. I pay my taxes and have nothing to hide,” he stated.

Chukwuma reiterated his commitment to the APC’s growth in the South-East, asserting that the party had become formidable under his efforts.

He accused “unpatriotic elements” of attempting to tarnish his image but expressed confidence in his eventual victory.

“My image cannot be tarnished. We know the people behind this, and I cannot allow unpatriotic elements to stop me from contesting the forthcoming Anambra governorship election. I can never be intimidated by anybody,” he added.

The aspirant insisted that his focus remained on securing the APC ticket and winning the governorship election to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of Anambra State.