A legal practitioner and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Barrister Tony Odey has condemned the recent call on the Ministers of Science, Technology and Transportation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and Rotimi Amaechi to resign their appointments following bribery allegation.
APC chapter in Rivers State had in statement revealed some persons allegedly behind the bribery scandal.
It recalled that, Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group at recently called on Onu and Ameachi to resign to prove their innocence.
But in a statement in Abuja, Barrister Ode who was a former member of the defunct All Nigerians Peoples Party, ANPP, which was chaired by Onu stated that the call was preposterous.
He said that what Afenifere needed to do was to thoroughly investigate the matter before taking their position.
Recalling his affinity with Onu in ANPP days, the APC stalwart said that the Minister was a man of great integrity.
He said: “Justice Ngwuta had alleged that the Honourable Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu had approached him to influence the judgment of the Ebonyi State gubernatorial election in favour of the Labour Party candidate.
“The allegation of Justice Ngwuta in my considered opinion is short of the truth and further reveals the ranting of a drowning man who under survival instinct can hold on to anything whether it is helpful or not.
“As a former member, Board of Trustees of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, who had worked closely with Honorable Minister who was also a statutory member of the Board then, being the National Chairman of the ANPP the, I believe strongly that Dr. Onu would not do anything that’s capable of diminishing his hard-earned and long established integrity.
“He is one gentleman whose character and reputation, I can vouch for. In fact, it is on this note that the good people of Yala Local Government Area in Cross River State, where I come from, considered him worthy for a highly revered chieftaincy award-“Okumade 1 of Yala Nation”, meaning “a pace setter of Yala Nation.
“I considered that Justice Ngwuta just as usual must have been used to reduce the high profile and status of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu. In this highly political times, it would not be a surprise to see the emergence of the likes of Justice Ngwuta as willing tools in the hands of fifth columnists like Afenifere.
“Unfortunately, Afenifere initially known to be a highly respected socio-political organization and a voice of the Yourba Nation has swayed off course and has now condescended to the status of patronizing cheap blackmail.
“For instance, for the socio-politcal organization to call for the resignation of the highly revered Dr. Onu who has a track record of integrity beyond the shores of this nation is most uncharitable and further speaks of the low status the Afenifere has assumed.
“It would have been more honorable for the Afenifere to first of all investigate to know where there is merit in Justice Ngwuta’s allegation before calling for the resignation.
“In the light of the ugly situation, Justice Nguwta has found himself, I wish that the entire Igbo race and indeed, Nigerians as a whole should vehemently reject and ignore the call of Afenifere as it lacks of a genuine interest group that seeks the good will of the entire nation.
“On Chief Rotimi Amaechi, the Honorable Minister of Transportation whose role goes with the sobriquet “the lion of the tribe of the South South”, I am no longer surprise that his role in the last political dispensation that brought the change to perfection would have attracted the recent blackmail by those bent on pulling him down as one of the leading lights from the South South Zone.
“Ohaneze Ndigbo is supposed to have woken up to protect their own especially as it concerns one of their leading lights in the person of Onu. Ditto Amaechi in the case of South South Elders Forum.”
Culled from dailypost
