PEOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) publicity secretary Chief Olisa Metuh has denied rumours that he gave the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) information that implicated former president Dr Goodluck Jonathan.
Currently standing trial for his role in the $2.1bn arms scandal during which money meant for military hardware was diverted to private use, Chief Metuh is facing a seven-count charge before the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court. He is accused of received N400m from the payments and admitted to it under interrogation.
Sources close to the EFCC reveal that a petition against Dr Jonathan has been submitted to the agency which could lead to his arrest, which has been attributed to Chief Metuh. However, in a rebuttal, Chief Metuh denied being responsible for the petition adding that he did not implicate the former president in any way shape or form.
He described the petition, which was purportedly signed by a former member of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Ikenna Ejezie, as a hoax. According to Chief Metuh some people were out to settle personal scores hence why the petition was written and attributed to him.
In a statement by his counsel Ben Nwosu, Chief Metuh said: “Our attention has been drawn to reports in the media regarding a petition by one Barrister Osuagwu Ugochukwu claiming to be representing a non-existent former member of the Enugu State House of Assembly, given as Ikenna Ejezie and asking the EFCC to invite and interrogate ex-president Goodluck Jonathan on issues relating to the on-going trial of our client, Chief Olisa Metuh. Whereas we note that Barrister Ugochukwu has links with the EFCC and had appeared on behalf of the commission while representing its former chairman, Ibrahim Larmode at a hearing in the National Assembly last year, the claim that the petition is on behalf of a former member of Enugu State House of Assembly is false as no such individual ever served in that legislative house.
“However, we have thoroughly studied the petition and for the avoidance of doubt, wish to state the following. The petition is not really against ex-president Jonathan but actually a calculated attempt targeted at swaying public sentiments and the judiciary against our client in this orchestrated and well-funded media trial."
He added that the idea is to sway the minds of the public and the court to get a conviction based more on media trial than the laws of the land. According to Mr Nwosu, it is clear that their assertion is neither based on the statement his client made at the EFCC nor on the evidence placed before the court.
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