It’s a lie, Buhari did not bribe Justice Ademola –Presidency

The presidency has refuted news reports that counsel to President Muhammadu Buhari, Kola Awodein, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), gave Justice Adeniyi Ademola N500, 000.

Special Adviser on media and publicity, Mr Femi Adesina described the assertions as malicious, utterly ridiculous, and revolting.

A prosecution witness, Mr. Babatunde Adepoju, while testifying before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Maitama against Justice Ademola on Tuesday, had told how Awodein allegedly paid N500,000 to the embattled judge, during President Buhari’s certificate saga case.

Adepoju, is a Department of State Service (DSS) investigator and the 16th prosecution witness (PW16) in the ongoing corruption trial of Justice Ademola, his wife, Olabowale and Joe Agi (SAN).

He told the court that Agi in the course of interrogation revealed that Buhari’s lawyer, Mr. Awodein, paid N500, 000 to Justice Ademola, and that the lawyer also stated that the money was part of a gift for the wedding of the judge.

Read also: Buhari’s lawyer gave Justice Ademola N.5m during certificate saga –Witness

However, Adesina in a statement on Wednesday, noted that Mr Awodein, has reacted to the allegations, adding, that any attempt to sully the President’s time-tested reputation as a man of truth and integrity is bound to fail, inexorably.

While recalling that President Buhari challenged the presidential elections of 2003, 2007, and 2011, up to the Supreme Court, not once was he named as trying to compromise any Judge, even though some of them were his schoolmates, or contemporary, at one time or the other.

He recalled a statement on the issue by Awodein which read thus: “I am constrained to make in absolute good faith , in good conscience and in the interest of justice and fair play the following very short statement on account of the distorted news story currently being peddled as affecting the person of Mr. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and my good and very noble self.

“The very simple and plain facts are as follows:

“I have known as a friend and for well over 35 years Mr. Justice Niyi Ademola, a notorious fact known to majority of lawyers who have practiced especially in Lagos for over that same period more or less and also to so many other professionals of other disciplines and other prominent and not so prominent Nigerians.

“It is a fact that the sum of money mentioned was personally paid by me as a friend to Mr. Justice Ademola as a personal gift, as our custom well recognizes and demands, on the occasion of his daughter’s High Society wedding solemnized at the Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina, Lagos, on the 9th of May 2015, which I attended in person.

“I was fully convinced then, as I remain today, that I could do no less as a friend of longstanding to fairly reasonably support him on that memorable occasion of his daughter’s wedding.

“Anyone and everyone who knows me would readily and unquestionably testify that I am and have always been a man of impeccable integrity on and off the Courts and that such a record speaks always loudly for itself.

“I would conclude by stating categorically and without any equivocation that ANY link whatsoever with Mr. President, or any court case or cases, of my personal gift from my personal resources delivered to Justice Niyi Ademola by myself on that occasion or any suggestion whatsoever that it was anything but such a gift or that it ever came from Mr. President or at his instance or that I was acting, under any circumstances, on his behalf is most malicious, utterly ridiculous and in very poor and revolting taste and most undeserving of any further comments,” he stated.

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