EFCC Cannot Force My Defection From PDP – Metuh

Chief Olisa Metuh has vowed not to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP as desired by some agents of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC who he said have now resorted to blackmailing him and the Supreme Court. “EFCC cannot force my defection from PDP,” Metuh asserted in a statement.

In a statement made available to GreenWhiteGreen, (GWG) Metuh accused officials of the EFCC of staging fresh blackmail to compromise the issues before the court following his continuing refusal to bend to the desires of some unknown political patrons.

“As a free citizen of Nigeria, I reserve the rights to remain in any political party of my choice and to actively participate in the political discourse of my country,” Metuh said in the statement he issued on Thursday afternoon.

The statement followed the annulment of the conviction handed him by Justice Okon Abang which the Court of Appeal said was tainted with bias by the trial judge.

Responding to what he alleged were moves by the EFCC acting the brief of some unnamed politicians to nudge him away from the PDP against his belief, he said:

My attention has been drawn to publications sponsored by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a renewed media trial in my case, this time aimed at Blackmailing and influencing the Supreme Court on the matter.

Such media trial and agenda setting by the EFCC compromised the processes at the High Court and led to a judgment that has been found to be overtly bias.  

I therefore wish to state, without any equivocation, that I will no longer allow a government agency created to chase criminals to continue to use me as a guinea pig for political persecution, particularly as we are now before the Supreme Court.

I am aware that this attempt to blackmail and arm-twist the Supreme Court is being engineered by certain elements in the EFCC, who often whisper that they are acting on pressures from above. These same people had claimed that they were being threatened by the former Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Magu to use all means to silence me.

EFCC Cannot Force My Defection From PDP – Metuh

The prosecution Counsel, Mr. Sylvanus Tahir from Gombe state, had boasted in open court on several occasions, but particularly on the last day of my cross-examination, that I will be sent to jail and no appeal can overturn the judgment.

A cursory look at the judgment of the court of first instance reveals importation of lies earlier peddled by the EFCC upon my arrest and outside of the courtroom and which were never presented as evidence in the course of trial. It is quite revealing that such lies found themselves as content of the judgment. Does it mean that the EFCC was part of writing the judgment read by the court?

Since the quashing of the judgment of the trial court by the Court of Appeal, agents of the EFCC have been harassing and threatening me. 

Now that the matter has been filed before the Supreme Court, these same EFCC agents have started going around boasting about the composition of the panel, the judgment it will deliver and even giving the date it will be delivered.

It is instructive to state that the EFCC has filed their appeal and the two respondents have also cross-appealed. Why are the same agents desperate to influence and intimidate the judiciary by dishing out half-truths in the media, if not that they are afraid their appeal has no merit.

While it is my decision to focus on my family, my career, my fragile health and my dwindled and destroyed businesses, I shall no longer continue to keep quiet in the face of such brazen media trial.

Why EFCC Cannot Force My Defection From PDP – Metuh

The EFCC should get ready to argue their baseless appeal at the Supreme Court and not on the pages of newspapers, which is a direct affront to the courts.

As a free citizen of Nigeria, I reserve the rights to remain in any political party of my choice and to actively participate in the political discourse of my country. Let nobody try to persuade, advise or arm-twist me to change my political affiliation in order to stop my obvious persecution as NO MAN IS GOD. 

I restate that I know my rights and I will no longer allow an obvious persecution, on political grounds, to be camouflaged as an anti-corruption war.

Signed:

Chief Olisa Metuh

Akajiugo Nnewi

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