Contrary to earlier denials, embattled ministerial nominee, Musiliu Obanikoro, has confessed to several Senators in Abuja that he did participate in an election-eve meeting in Ekiti in June 2014 in which a group of politicians and government ministers met with a Nigerian army general to rig the governorship election in favor of Ayodele Fayose, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The meeting, which is now known as “Ekitigate”, was secretly taped by an army captain who was subsequently forced to flee for his life.

Despite the scandal, President Jonathan went ahead to nominate Obanikoro into his cabinet for the second time, and the nominee is lobbying the Senators to give him a pass during his upcoming nomination hearing. It is in the process that he has confessed to some of them that he was indeed present at the rigging meeting in Akure, on behalf of the President, to ensure that everything went smoothly.

Obanikoro’s story is that he was simply making “peace” between the army and Ayo Fayose at the meeting, claiming that he was not party to any conversation about rigging. On the contrary, Obanikoro, who was at the time junior Minister for Defence, is overheard clearly on the tape bragging about the authority granted him by President Jonathan.

Prior to admitting his involvement to the Senators, the former minister met with President Jonathan to discuss the tape and his role. A presidency source said Obanikoro told President Jonathan he was present at the meeting but that a part of the audio-recording was “doctored”.

They said President Jonathan had called him to the meeting to discuss how to mitigate the damage created by the leaked tape. He told the Senators categorically that it was Jonathan himself who had sent him to Ekiti to help Fayose win the election. On the tape, Obanikoro says, at least twice, that he is on a “mission” for the President.

He also reportedly told President Jonathan at their meeting that he had asked his US-based lawyers to do a separate voice analysis of the tape and that the lawyers came back with “proof” that certain aspects of the tape had been doctored by SaharaReporters to make the regime look bad. Counting on that assurance, President Jonathan told a team of reporters from the Wall Street Journal during an interview that the tapes were not real and that he would not investigate the incident.

Obanikoro also told President Jonathan that his US-based lawyers had assured him that they could file some cases against SaharaReporters in the US to “teach SaharaReporters and its publisher, Omoyele Sowore” a lesson. He explained to the president that with enough financial support, his lawyers would file the case and also employ private detectives to take down SaharaReporters. President Jonathan reportedly nodded at the idea, and asked Obanikoro not to worry.

Following that meeting, the former Minister began a series of legal threats last week claiming to have sued SaharaReporters, as well as The Punch newspaper and Premium Times, both in Lagos. Up until now, those newspapers are yet to be served copies of the lawsuit.

On Tuesday night, Obanikoro, who is also a US citizen, assured some of the Senators that his US lawyers had already filed the libel suit against SaharaReporters in New York.

On Wednesday, Obanikoro deployed a small rented a crowd of protesters to hold placards in front of the National Assembly to denounce the All Progressives Congress.

It is to be noted that two other key participants at the meeting, Police Minister Jelili Adesiyan and Ayo Fayose, the beneficiary of the Ekiti governorship rigging, have admitted that they were at the meeting that was taped by the army captain.

For Obanikoro’s role in the rigging of the election, APC has advocated his being banned from holding any public office, and asked the Senate not to confirm him. Mr. Jonathan is known to have re-nominated Obanikor as his prize for stepping down from the PDP governorship race in Lagos.



http://saharareporters.com/2015/02/18/ministerial-nominee-obanikoro-confesses-he-was-ekiti-rigging-meeting-says-jonathan-sent

Na wa o! All these GEJ boys self. Una no dey tire? Anyway all their issues will be settled come March 28.

Mr President....5 weeks to election and your only reshuffle is Omokri? The only half-chance left now for you to gain credibility and some confidence is to make some tough decisions and fire the Ministers that all Nigerians are tired of. You know who they are.

Lol...the op and sahara reporters are not serious......

RigRigPee?!!! Flounder!!!

Even with the tape and the voices audible in it, this case is going no where. I mean who are we kidding but ourselves; nobody made a fuss outta a missing billion but you expect a 'rigging' case to defy all odds?

Life goes on...who cares Life goes on...who cares

I dare to say 'rigging' of votes is a norm in Nigerian politics. APC, PDP, all parties do this. It is just a matter of who's clueless enough to get caught.

And I have to give kudos to Sahara Reporters though. They are the only news agency Nigerians can trust. Only...

I heard that tape and I feel ashamed of the touts we parade as politicians

only God can help us in dis country... For a president to come out and say the audio is fake without any probing *smh** ... And dis same man is nominated for ministerial appointment again, Chaií
Wic way forward naija

mperoakeem:
only God can help us in dis country... For a president to come out and say the audio is fake without any probing *smh** ... And dis same man is nominated for ministerial appointment again, Chaií
Wic way forward naija

the president talks before he thinks.



He's such a 'slow-thinker'.

Later someone would come n tell me does Surrounding Buhari are Bad, as if d ones surrounding GEJ are Angels...


Abeg Politics Gives Room for the good, the bad and the ugly.


We Voters just have to choose the Best Electorate that matches wat we want

If u waiting for JESUS AND TWELE DISCIPLE TO COME FORM. "HEAVENLY DEMOCRATIC PARTY", u go wait tire



Shine ur eye *** in fashola's voice***

I weep for my country

And the President out rightly denied this on TV. Jona! Jona!! Jona!!! Your clueless-ness is like MTN, it follows you every where you go.

Fayose who earlier deny the tape and his presence have indeed own up and said he was there......
Now obanikoro is now saying he was sent by the President to rig the election


You shall know the truth and it shall set you free.....
When the tape came out, we all know that the voice there are just perfectly theirs
Ithia shows how desperate PDP is and going by with the election
When they see that February 14 can't favour them, the hoodwink JEGA to shift the date....

Let them know that their days are numbered