US Court Had Found Dumebi Kachikwu Guilty of Tax Evasion, Fined $2.1 Million, Amid Accusations of Sabotaging Opposition

 

A United States federal court had, in January 2023, found Nigerian businessman and political figure Dumebi Kachikwu guilty of tax evasion and ordered him to pay $2.1 million in penalties. The judgment, delivered by Judge George Jarrod Hazel of the U.S. District Court in Maryland, concluded a drawn-out legal battle that also saw his wife, Somachi Kachikwu, fined for related tax offenses.

Court documents revealed years of deliberate underreporting and evasion of federal taxes by the Kachikwus while conducting business in the U.S. Despite the gravity of the ruling, Kachikwu offered no public response and instead re-emerged on the Nigerian political scene shortly afterward, rekindling controversy.

Following the judgment, Kachikwu made an aggressive return to the media space, positioning himself at the center of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and claiming ownership of its political structure. His declarations came at a time when the ADC had become a key component of a newly-formed opposition coalition aiming to challenge the dominance of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The coalition had brought together notable political figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, David Mark, Rotimi Amaechi, Nasir El-Rufai, Rauf Aregbesola, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Their joint platform quickly gained traction and was viewed as a serious electoral threat to the ruling party. Kachikwu’s sudden assertion of control over the ADC was perceived by many insiders as a deliberate move to destabilize the alliance.

Sources within the opposition confirmed that Kachikwu began a disinformation campaign shortly after the coalition's announcement, pushing misleading narratives through select media outlets. These stories aimed to create uncertainty around the legitimacy of the ADC's leadership and questioned the coalition’s cohesion.

Despite his claims, there was no record of Kachikwu holding any formal position within the ADC's national executive at the time. His prior involvement with the party had peaked during the 2023 presidential election, when he controversially secured the ADC's presidential ticket, replacing Kingsley Moghalu. That episode had triggered speculation that Kachikwu was acting on behalf of external interests—most notably the APC—to undermine the opposition from within.

Adding to the suspicions was Kachikwu’s regular appearance on Lagos-based TVC, a media outlet with known affiliations to Bola Tinubu’s political circle. During a series of broadcasts in early 2024, Kachikwu attacked opposition leaders, calling them “expired, corrupt, and irrelevant,” a move that many observers interpreted as a coordinated effort to damage the coalition’s public image.

At the time, Kachikwu’s political and media activities raised new concerns, particularly given his criminal record in the United States. He had previously been linked to the iGate-NDTV broadband corruption scandal that ensnared U.S. Congressman William Jefferson in the 2000s. That case had drawn global media attention and severely impacted Nigeria’s international reputation.

Although Kachikwu often presented himself as a global businessman, none of his online platforms showed any recent trips to the United States. When contacted for comments on his conviction and political affiliations, he remained silent.

The opposition, meanwhile, stood firm. PDP spokesperson Debo Ologunagba dismissed Kachikwu’s attempts to fracture the alliance and underscored the seriousness of the coalition’s mission.

“This coalition didn’t come together out of envy; it was born from the need to stop the destruction of Nigeria under the APC,” Ologunagba said in response to Kachikwu’s media offensive.

Analysts reflecting on the events concluded that Kachikwu’s re-entry into the political arena was not merely coincidental. His actions, they believed, were part of a broader strategy to sabotage the momentum of any unified opposition, especially one capable of mounting a real challenge in the 2027 general elections.

Even though he held no recognized authority within the ADC at that time, Kachikwu’s behavior served as a stark reminder of the political gamesmanship that continues to define Nigeria’s democratic landscape. His attempts to hijack the party narrative revealed how far some political actors were willing to go to retain influence and disrupt coalition efforts.