Goodluck Jonathan opens up on ‘working for APC’, attacks Sule Lamido

Goodluck Jonathan opens up on ‘working for APC’, attacks Sule Lamido - Bayelsa election

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has reacted to claim making the rounds in the media that he worked against his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the recent governorship poll in Bayelsa State because of the Malabu oil deal.

He described the claim as absurd and deliberately designed as a form of blackmail.

The former President was reacting to former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, who had claimed in an interview that he traded off the PDP in the last governorship election in Bayelsa State because he was trying to avoid being prosecuted by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari over the Malabu deal.

Lamido had said the Federal Government used the Malabu case to blackmail Jonathan into supporting the All Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State.

But Jonathan, in a statement by his media aide, Ikechukwu Eze, said Lamido did not speak like a statesman and described his claim as absurd.

He said, “Ordinarily, we shouldn’t be responding to an interview of this nature because it is obvious, given his amiable nature, former president Jonathan does not consider the idea of joining issues with individuals on the pages of newspapers a decent conduct.

“We are also aware of the former president’s belief that truth always has a way of catching up with statements rooted in lies and propaganda, such as this one. Furthermore, we considered that when former president Jonathan was in office, Lamido was one of the governors that worked closely with him.

“However, we chose to make this clarification just to set the record straight, especially as some of the former president’s close associates have been asking questions about the blatant statement credited to Lamido.

“We really do not know why Lamido, chose to speak like he did, especially with such hostility, contempt and lies against former president Jonathan.

“However, one thing is clear: In his anger and apparent bile-filled disposition, Lamido, an otherwise astute and erudite politician, obviously dropped the ball by electing not to speak responsibly like a statesman.

“He actually came off the interview sounding like a sulking skunk, to whom logic or reason meant nothing. It didn’t matter to him that, as a well respected member of the society, he shouldn’t make such weighty claims against a former president if he was only guessing, like he admitted. Hear him: ‘And the issue of Malabu, I think, played a key role’.

“Apparently, seized by some inexplicable resentment, Lamido held on to the lie currently being pushed by few mischief-makers to the effect that former president Jonathan helped the APC to win the last governorship election in Bayelsa State.

“Unfortunately, the former governor jumped into this convenient bandwagon of grovellers without first thinking of the burden of substantiating his claim. What to do? Orchestrate a raft of incongruent drivel of cheap lies to confuse the readers.

“In one breathe, Lamido alleged Jonathan worked against his party ‘because he was very, very angry with (governor) Dickson,’ in another, he claimed it was ‘because he (Jonathan) knows his problem with Buhari and his government. And the issue of Malabu, I think, played a key role’.

“This absurd claim definitely would have gained more traction in the public space if it really made any sense. But it didn’t.

“What, if we may ask Lamido, is the correlation between Jonathan supporting APC because he was angry with Governor Dickson and Jonathan supporting APC to avoid prosecution over Malabo?

“Where was Lamido and his ‘Malabu problem’ when Jonathan campaigned vigorously and helped PDP to win Bayelsa governorship election in 2015, under the same President Buhari?

“It is important to establish at this point that Lamido probably knows little about the Malabu case, for which he was not supposed to have commented blindly.

“In the first place, the Malabu oil block was not given out by Jonathan. It was a deal that was sealed during the time of the late head of state, General Sani Abacha.

“We feel that Lamido is in a position to know the business of oil exploration has an international dimension, as such, it is clear, it is not only the Nigerian government that is looking into the Malabu case.

“If that is the case, he should also have known that there are at least, three other countries outside Africa that are investigating the matter.

“Assuming without conceding that the former president Jonathan is culpable as Lamido alleged, would a trade off deal with the Nigerian government also free him from blame in other countries like Italy, United Kingdom and the United States?

“Jonathan is convinced that Lamido’s awkward intervention in this matter was deliberately designed as a form of blackmail. Having tried many other ways to discredit the former president to no avail, Lamido is now scheming to project Malabu as Jonathan’s Achilles heel.

“Here again, he has failed because the true story of Malabu is already known to Nigerians.

“Lamido, we believe, is too smart not to realise when the pot conveniently calls the kettle black, it is a grand design to confuse, deceive and cover up the truth.

“Lamido served as governor of Jigawa State for two terms on the platform of PDP after which the ruling APC took over his state. Is he then telling Nigerians that he cut a deal with APC, helped the ruling party to procure victory at the poll and take over his state?

“The fact is that it is not only in Bayelsa State that the country had experienced such a situation where PDP or even APC had lost elections to another party.

“Holding Jonathan responsible for PDP’s loss in Bayelsa without first investigating the issues that determined the fate suffered by the party in the state is not only disingenuous but also detrimental to the image and aspirations of the party.”

Comments

Zlatan’s Manager Arrested In America For Fraud

An incredibly defaming scandal is brewing in the camp of Nigerian street singer, Zlatan Ibile ana it has to do with fraud. There are reports that rapper’s tour manager, Babatunde Adio a.k.a. Royce was arrested in America for fraud. According to what we gathered, Royce had allegedly duped several show promoters with Zlatan Ibile’s name.

Edo APC chaos, Iyamho attack: Story of alleged betrayal of Oshiomhole

.Obaseki counters claim WHAT started as a united family is in tatters and there are fears that the political family with the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, as father may never be one again. This is evident in the attack on Governor Godwin Obaseki and Oba Rilwan Akinolu of Lagos by suspected thugs during their visit to the house of Oshiomhole in Iyamho after the convocation of the university in the home town of the party leader penultimate Saturday. There have been claims and counter claims after the attack. Obaseki and state government officials said the attack was masterminded by Oshiomhole’s loyalists while the party leader alleged that Deputy Governor Phillips Shaibu started it all when he allegedly brought people suspected to be thugs into the university town ahead of the convocation. Obaseki, his deputy, Shaibu, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Osarodion Ogie, and Chief of Staff, Taiwo Akerele, on o...

Politics- Prince Udebhulu promises to resuscitate some of the moribund markets in the local government communities

EKPOMA- The All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship aspirant in Esan west local government and the most vibrant, bold, erudite and promising young politician, Prince Kelly O. Udebhulu, promises to lead his people to the promise land if given the opportunity to serve his people. In his evening consultative live chat broadcast on his streamline TV, Prince Udebhulu assures all Esan west people to be rest assured as the long awaited development would be seen and he is not promising what he cannot do or achieve. He declared that he isn't taken the politics as do or die affair. Prince Udebhulu promised to set up several empowerment programmes that will benefit the people while vowing to resuscitate some of the moribund markets in the local government communities. He also vowed to eschew all sorts of multiple taxations while promising to hold constant stakeholders meeting with the people to know their needs and filling it. Prince Udebhulu however advised all aspiring aspirants to...

Welcome to UROHI kingdom Esanland

HISTORY NOTE: HISTORY OF URHOHI (UROHI) MADE KNOWN. It will serve a useful purpose to remember right at the onset that there are two parts to every Esan district: the royal family and the common people. They were quite distinct, for nearly all the ancient ruling houses came from Benin City or its suburbs. The head of the ruling houses was and still is, the ONOJIE, who with his family, servants and brothers inhabited EGUARE, the administrative CAPITAL of the district. Another important thing an enquirer must take notice of is the use of the word BROTHER by Esan people. It can mean anything from a male blood relation to a very good friend. Secondly OBA's SON can mean a BINI and, in fact, it was recently, a common thing for any Bini, outside the city, to describe himself as the OBA's SON! HISTORY: The correct name is UROI Until the later part of the thirties, Urhohi which the then British Administration referred to as Urhohi Village group had no intercourse with even...

Sacks Alert! Gov. Zulum has sacked Borno Head of Service

Gov. Zulum sacks Borno Head of Service Alhaji Usman Shuwa, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), made the disclosure in a statement on Tuesday in Maiduguri. Shuwa disclosed that the governor also approved the appointment of Mr Simon Malgwi, as the new HOS, adding that the appointment was with immediate effect. “Gov. Babagana Zulum has relieved Mohammed Hassan of his appointment as the HOS with immediate effect. “He has accordingly approved the appointment of Barrister Simon Malgwi, as the new HOS,” he said.

Fall goes blonde with his beards check out his new look

President Buhari visits most rev'd justin welby #shocking photos

And “Hurricane Oshiomhole” sweeps through Bayelsa, Kogi, By Patrick Obahiagbon

n meteorological lore, hurricanes – cyclone-strength winds – are usually named after females. But an exception was seemingly made on Saturday, when “Hurricane Oshiomhole” that sacked the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the maritime state of Bayelsa made landfall. This time round, elated locals gave it a man’s name, in sheer awe of the comprehensiveness and clinical finish of the change it wrought. Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, former governor of Edo State and the national chairman of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), is the choreographer who scripted the necessary, nimble political masterpiece that has considerably revamped his allegedly even though spuriously trumped up sagging standing within the party’s high command. Further inland in Kogi State, both friends and foes who felt the hurricane’s strength would have waned discovered they misread the stern resolve of the diminutive dynamite from Edo State, in charge of proceedings. Oshiomhole’s retention of Ko...

I wouldn’t have been In BBNaija house without my wife’s consent’ – Mike

Mike Olayemi Edwards, emerged as one of the favourites of fans and viewers in the course of the recently-concluded fourth season of Big Brother Naija reality TV show.Apart from emerging first runner-up of the Big Brother ‘Pepper Dem’ edition, Mike, a product of a Nigerian mother and a Jamaican father, won many over by not becoming entangled with any woman in the house. He spoke to ADEDAYO ODULAJA in this interviewWhat is your view on the fact that Nigerians can’t stop talking about how you stayed faithful to your wife during the course of BBNaija 4? I am a strong individual, a strong man and I didn’t show my weakness, so, to me that was just amazing. I expect nothing less from my girl. To remain in the house for 99 days I never had any personal doubts for me. It’s just normal. I made a commitment before I even said I do, I made it clear to myself to be faithful till death. But was there any time you were tempted by any of the ladies or anything you saw? No, there was...

Kate Henshaw remorseful after bashing a woman’s car in Lekki TODAY

Popular Nollywood actress, Kate Henshaw has taken to Twitter to narrate the awful thing she did to a woman who tried to help her. According to her, she was at Lekki roundabout and the kind woman created space for her to move her car. There wasn’t enough space to manoeuvre and she ended up bashing the woman’s car. The kind woman however got upset but didn’t react, rather she drove off saying, ‘Kate Henshaw you bashed my car’.

Olofofo 9ja

Search This Blog