PDP CRISIS: GROUP RAISES ALARM OVER $5MILLION BRIBE SCANDAL

Ahead of tomorrow’s court judgment by Justice Muhammed Liman of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, a non-governmental organization, Centre for Equality Before The Law, has raised the alarm over an alleged $5million bribe scam.

In a statement today in Abuja the National Coordinator of the group, Alhaji Danjuma Danladi, said information at its disposal has revealed that the Governor of one of the South South states has been boasting that despite the fact that he knows that they have a bad case; he has done the “needful” to ensure that the judgment goes their way.

The statement reads, “As a group that is committed to equality of all before the law, we owe it a duty to alert Nigerians and the judiciary to a disturbing information at our disposal. We have been reliably informed that a Governor from one of the South South states who has been a key figure in the crisis has been boasting ahead of tomorrow’s (Monday, July 4, 2016) judgment in the leadership crisis rocking the PDP that he has done the needful to ensure that the judgment confers legitimacy on the botched National Convention.

“The Governor has been boasting that a $5 million offer has been made to the trial judge, out of which $2.5million has been delivered by him and his Chief of Staff to the judge; and that once he delivers the judgment confirming the legitimacy of the National Convention, he will be given the balance of $2.5million. The Governor has been boasting that he is 100 percent sure that that is the judgment that will be given.

“He told his brother-governors all of these at the PDP Governor’s Forum Meeting hosted at the Ondo State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

“In fairness to the trial judge, he has told those mounting pressure on him to close his eyes to the subsisting orders and judgments of his brother judges in favour of the other group that it will be tough task for him to do because of the earlier and subsisting orders of the same court.

“But those pressurizing him have told him to damn the consequences and hand them a favourable judgment, and then leave the aggrieved party to go on appeal. They have been calling him and paying nocturnal visits to him. After much resistance the trial judge is said to have caved in to the pressure and accepted the initial deposit.

“The loud-mouthed Governor also announced to his colleagues that he has always related with the trial judge. He said the judge also likes the good things of life and cited his mansion in Lafia, Nasarawa State, as an example, adding that he has even had to send people to him in Kaduna State.

“It is based on the assurances that they have gotten that made them to constitute the National Campaign Council for Edo State Governorship Election and fixed its launch to coincide with tomorrow when the judgment will be given. The calculation is that the news of the favourable judgment will be broken at the campaign ground so as to boost the morale of their supporters.”

The group noted that it was a dangerous development that will throw the party into deeper confusion and embarrass the judiciary and the entire nation.

It therefore urged the security agencies to monitor and probe the telephone call logs of Justice Liman and those of close aides and acquaintances, adding that it will reveal those who have been talking to him and mounting pressure on him to subvert the cause of justice.

It would be recalled that the FCT High Court had on the 19th May, 2016 delivered a judgment in which it said Senator Ali Modu Sheriff should remain in office pending the conduct of election at a National Convention to elect another National Chairman for the PDP.

 Besides, the judgment affirmed that 16 national officers of the party are to remain in office till 2017 and two others (National Secretary and National Auditor) are to remain till 2018. This is besides the two orders of the Federal High Court, Lagos given on the 12th and 20th of May, 2016. While that of the 12th says elections should not be conducted into the offices of the National Chairman, National Secretary and National Auditor; that of the 20th ordered parties to maintain status quo and refrain from foisting a fait accompli on the court.

All of these (judgment and orders) came first in time and before Justice Liman’s exparte order, last week's judgment and ruling of the FCT High Court.

It is an irony that those who do not have respect for their own party's constitution which provides for four years for party officers and mandatorily give them the right to seek re-election (See Article 47.1 of PDP constitution) and gleefully disobeyed valid and subsisting court orders are the very ones seeking the court’s protection either by hook or crook.

“When issues arose and some of the aggrieved parties approached the court, the court said, ‘wait; don't take any further steps on the contending issues until I am able to resolve them’. They flouted the court orders and did as they liked. Thereafter, the same people who flouted court orders and judgment have now ran to the court in Port Harcourt to seek to confer legitimacy on illegitimacy. We wait to see if the trial judge will put a lie to the time-tested principle enunciated by Lord Denning said that ‘you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand’,” the group added.

I knw ubdestabd, this matter again.

When PDP come dey about bribery scandal now, shey make APC come help them prosecute the offenders ni abi wetin?

because if aoc wades in now, dem go dey shout witch hunt..

This matter don pass me o

Now it's crystal who is backing Ogar

They are simply attempting to jump, before the inevitable push presents itself.

PDP it's a pity! If EFCC detain them now to allow for investigation, the paid e-worriors whose source of livelihood depend solely on the numbers of rubbish characters they can type using their keyboard will shout witch hunting! At the fullness of time, EFCC shall investigate the Judge liman and Wicked Wike.