Presidency dissociates Buhari from bribe allegation against Amaechi

After several days of keeping mute to the allegation by two judges that Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, came to induce them on the instruction of President Muhammad Buhari, the presidency has broken its silence, saying it was impossible.

President Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, stated this in a statement he made available to journalists in Abuja on Sunday.

Justice Sylvester Ngwuta of the Supreme Court, one of the judges arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) had in a letter dated October 18, and addressed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, alleged that Amaechi had told him that President Buhari was concerned about the judgments of the Supreme Court on Ekiti and Rivers elections case going in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Justice John Okoro, also accused Amaechi and said that he told him that the President and the APC instructed him to inform him that they must emerge victorious in their election appeals in Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Abia states whether good or bad.

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However, denying that the President cannot involve himself in such an act, Shehu advised journalists and other Nigerians to stop linking him to the travails of the judges.

He said, “President Muhammadu Buhari would be the last person to authorise anybody to induce a judge to pervert the course of justice.”

He added that despite the President’s personal familiarity with some court judges, he had never used that familiarity to “seek favours from them from 2003, 2007 and 2011 when he was challenging the fairness of the presidential election results, from the lowest to the highest courts in the land”.

“As a politician, Buhari had never suggested to his lawyers to approach any judge for assistance to win his cases.” Shehu said.

By Ebere Ndukwu …

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