Accused of conspiracy against Jonathan, Metuh orders lawyers to review subpoena

Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, has asked his legal team to revisit and review his application praying that subpoena be issued on former President Goodluck Jonathan to mandate him to appear in court to testify in his trial.

Metuh disclosed this while denying the allegation by Save Ijaw Nation Group that he conspired with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to impugn the character and person of Jonathan.

Following Metuh’s application, Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court Abuja, had insisted that a subpoena be issued on both Jonathan and the former National Security Adviser (NSA) under his administration, Col. Sambo Dasuki, mandating them to appear in court to testify in Metuh’s fraud trial.

In a statement titled, “I will never connive against former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR”, Metuh denied conspiring with anybody to rundown the two men he said he had great respect for.

The statement read, “My attention has been drawn to a release by the Save Ijaw Nation Group wherein they alleged that the order given by the court in my trial was negotiated by me as a means of letting me ‘off the hook’.

“They also stated that I surrendered myself to be used to drag down former President Goodluck Jonathan and impugn on his character and person. In the light of this and in deference to the former President, I have elected to make these clarifications personally.

“First of all, I state unequivocally that I am completely innocent of the charge against me and therefore have no reason to negotiate with anybody to let me off a
non-existent hook.

“It is therefore inconceivable and completely ridiculous for anybody to think that I would for any reason betray or surrender myself to be used against President Goodluck Jonathan, for whom I have immense respect and served diligently, without any apologies, in and out of office.

“To what end will I conspire with the same set of people who singled me out to be humiliated and openly handcuffed while spreading all manner of malicious stories against me, most of which they even denied outright in court while others remain completely unsubstantiated?

“Ordinarily, the content of the charge against me in the Federal High Court should not breed any worries but for the fact that it now appears that the anti-corruption fight has shifted the burden of proof to a defendant once an allegation is made.

“On the issue of conniving with the government against former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Save Ijaw Nation Group may be alarmed by successive media reports that he was ordered to be served on Tuesday with an instruction to appear the following day and subsequently given a five-day time limit; setting off a media frenzy as if the former president is needed for reasons more than a mere request by my lawyers for a corroborative evidence in my case.

“I totally concede that this is not deserving of the status, person and image of the former President especially with his contribution and sacrifices to national development and sustenance of democracy in our dear country.

“Without prejudice to all the foregoing, I accept that it was the need for corroboration … that led my lawyers to request for the evidence of the respected former President to assist them in proving my innocence.

READ ALDO: Like our other problems, Maina is the creation of the Jonathan govt- Presidency

“However, with all the controversies arising from the reports of the said pronouncements and the attendant concerns thereof, I have instructed my legal team to revisit and review the entire issue of the subpoena.”

Metuh and his company, Destra Investment Limited, are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a seven-count charge around the receipt of N400 million from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) without executing any duly approved contract.

 

RipplesNigeria… without borders, without fears

Click here to join the Ripples Nigeria WhatsApp group for latest updates.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now