Former National Publicity
Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olisa Metuh, has narrated how
he offended President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Testifying before the Federal
High Court in Abuja, Metuh explained why President Buhari wants to jail him.
Metuh is facing money laundering
charges alongside his firm, Destra Investment Limited.
He mounted the witness box on
Thursday to personally defend the seven-count charge the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission, EFCC, preferred against him.
Testifying as the 15th Defence
Witness, DW-15, Metuh said his trial was a calculated attempt by the APC-led
government to silence him from criticizing Buhari’s policies.
Metuh explained in the court that
top APC members had prior to the time the EFCC arrested and subsequently
charged him for fraud, tried to dissuade him from attacking President Buhari in
the media.
Metuh told the court that some of
the APC members, met him on several occasions in Dubai, Switzerland and Paris
to discuss possible roles they could play to strengthen the PDP to wrestle
power from President Buhari.
According to Metuh, the top APC
members, who he did not mention their identities, equally complained of
Buhari’s governance style.
Metuh said, “The then National
Chairman of the APC, Oyegun, publicly warned me that the APC was not happy with
me and is not taking my criticisms lightly.
“Also, when President Buhari
wants to engage in undemocratic practice, I will resist such by taking press
men to houses of Nigerians who were unlawfully held hostage in their houses, to
conduct live press conferences, and this put an immediate stop to excesses of
the DSS and other security agencies.
“He informed Nigerians that his
government can arrest and detain Nigerians at will, I immediately countered
that he was becoming an unrepentant tyrant.
“This provoked another round of
warning and threats and the then APC chairman oyegun came out again to warn
that the government will no longer take it kindly with Olisa Metuh as PDP
spokesman.
“The former Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, at the burial ceremony of the mother
of the governor of ebonyi state, in the presence of the government delegation
he led, including the Minister of Labour and then members of the National
working committee of the PDP, and some other elders of the party from the South
East, warned me personally that this government has decided to teach me a
lesson.
“He stated to the hearing of
everybody that this government will use me to set an example of how they can
destroy the careers, finances and lives of Nigerians that attempt to put a clog
in the wheel of their administrative tenure.
“This was the period I had just
come out from Kuje prison. Upon my being introduced by the labour Minister
Ngige who told Babachir, ‘I hope you know this person, Olisa Metuh’.
“My lord, with the greatest sense
of responsibility, Babchir said, you are a very lucky man, we did not want you
to come out of Kuje, to my shock and amazement, he stated publicly to me that
this government will jail me.”
However, as the former PDP’s mouthpiece
was making his case, the EFCC, through its lawyer, Sylvanus Tahir, urged the
court to call the defendant to order.
The lawyer accused Metuh of
delving into trivial and remote facts that were not connected to the money
laundering charge against him.
The lawyer said, “My lord we have
waited patiently. This court is a court of record. The court has been patient.
The evidence given should be in conformity with the charge against the
defendant.
“We invite your lordship to know
that the charges brought against the defendant bother on seven counts. He is
alleged to have diverted N400million, allegedly gotten from the office of the
NSA, being the proceeds of an unlawful act.
“The other components of the
charge deals with the diversion of the sum of N2 million, US dollars.
“These are basically the charge
for which the accused person stands trial. Going by the oral testimony of the
defendant so far, this should be the fourth day.
“No attempt has been made to
discuss the issue for which he is in court,” Tahir submitted.
Reacting to EFCC’s position,
Metuh’s lawyer, Dr. Onyeachi Ikpeazu, SAN, prayed the court to consider the
provisions of the constitution that made it obligatory for the court to give
fair hearing to all accused persons.
Trial Justice Okon Abang, in a
short ruling, pointed out he would determine the irrelevant part of the
evidence at the end of the matter.
Justice Abang explained, “It is
my view that it is not out of place for the objection of this nature to be
raised.
“The position of the SAN is also
noted.
“I cannot at this stage determine
which evidence is relevant and remote. It is like urging the court to determine
a substantive issue at an interlocutory application.
“It will be at the end of the
proceedings that the court will determine whether the evidence is valid or not.
If the evidence is relevant, it will reflect in the judgment.”
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