"Two of our crucial witnesses, Ma’aji Mohammed Iro and Abdulmalik Dalhatu have died in mysterious circumstances and this has instilled fear in other prospective witnesses in the case" EFCC told the courtMa’aji Mohammad Iro was a Regional Manager with Zenith Bank, who was in charge of Adamawa State Govt's accounts with the bank and allegedly assisted the former governor in the looting spree.
“Let it be known, that I didn’t just join the APC, I was wooed by the legacy parties and four other PDP governors then. Naturally in every bargain, interests must be spelt out. Of course they did promise me the Vice Presidential ticket in the forth coming election with a condition to sell the party and make President Jonathan unpopular. The initial arrangement was to pair me with Hon. Tambuwal (Speaker of House of Representatives) .
But when other entrants like Atiku and others entered the party, everything changed. It was Gov. Nyako that opened up to me on the recent changes, and pleaded with me to take the position of the National chairman of party, that it will be zoned to the South-South. And I grudgingly accepted. Now, in every political convention, consensus building is needed to harmonize all interests.
So I initiated a platform for the 16 APC governors to talk in Port-Harcourt last week. And in that meeting, the 13 governors and their deputies that were in attendance reassured me that I will be given the national chairmanship slot. But when I asked Gov. Adams to ask Chief Ikimi and John Oyegun to step down for my candidate, Adam’s quietly told me “My brother, I know the bad name they have called you in the South-South and Rivers in particular. Again, I sympathize with you because I know how much you have put-in in APC, this Yoruba and Hausa people can’t be trusted, they said you couldn’t build the APC in Rivers State and that only 95,633 out of the 1.3 million membership you claimed have passport photographs. That everything was doctored by you”.
I find it very disappointing, that we no longer have men of trust, and integrity. Men whose words should be their bond in politics. So last night, I made my position clear, that if the other candidates didn’t step down for Dr. Sam Sam Jaja, then there was no point picking the expression of interest form. I feel deeply betrayed”
An official in the Presidency said the President and the Senate President had only met once since the latter’s emergence as the leader of the senate. The official said all efforts by Saraki to have another meeting with the president, after the party’s National Executive Council meeting two Fridays ago, have proved abortive.
The reliable source said that Saraki had at different times reached out to people to help him persuade Buhari to grant him audience.
“The truth is that the President is still displeased with what transpired in the National Assembly, especially the Senate. Their encounter during the APC National Executive Council meeting, when they shook hands, was the first meeting between President Buhari and Saraki since he emerged as the President of the Senate.
“We are aware that Saraki has been going about begging people to assist him to plead with the President to meet with him. That was one of the reasons why he visited former President Obasanjo.
“I can tell you that the President is very pained by what happened. He felt that since he had been transparent with the party, everybody should play that way. But since Saraki took that path, the President was and he is still pained. Let us just hope that at the end of it all, they will be able to put the matter behind them.” the source saidSource: Punch
