PDP keeps mum on Diezani, Alamieyeseigha’s travails

 

The national leadership of the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, has refused to comment on the travails of two of the party’s members.

The members are a former Minister of Petroleum, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and a former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.

Both of them are prominent members of the party who played significant roles during the failed second term bid of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The two people are currently facing legal battles from the United Kingdom.

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While Alison-Madueke was recently arrested in London by the operatives of the National Crime Agency and later released on bail, the same country had also requested the extradition of Alamieyeseigha.

The former governor, who was convicted and jailed in Nigeria but was pardoned by Jonathan, is being accused of money laundering by the British government.

Jonathan served as deputy to Alamieyeseigha when the latter was the governor of the oil-rich Bayelsa State.

Efforts made by our correspondent to get the reaction of the spokesperson to the former ruling party, Chief Olisa Metuh, on the travails of the two members of the party were not successful.

Metuh said he was not conversant with what the two people were going through and that it would be wrong to comment on issues that he did not have adequate information on.

Even when our correspondent briefed and explained to him what the two people were going through, Metuh refused to speak on the issue.

“I’m not conversant with what is happening to them. I may need to be properly briefed and get proper information on what is happening to them. Until then, I won’t be able to speak on their matter,” he said.

The party had accused President Muhammadu Buhari of using his anti-corruption war as a witchhunt against members of the PDP, the main opposition party.

It was however not clear if the party would accuse the British government of doing the same thing.

Meanwhile, a group known as Buhari Media Support Group, an organisation which claims to be dedicated to promoting President Buhari’s agenda for change, has challenged the PDP to appoint a formidable legal team to head to London and defend Diezani.

The BMSG in an electronic mail sent to our correspondent in Abuja, reminded the PDP of its previous allegations that the anti-corruption war was a political witchhunt against political opponents.

In the statement, which was signed by Muhamma Labno and Chief Cassidy Madueke, coordinator and secretary respectively, the group wondered why the opposition PDP had yet to accuse the UK police of witchhunt for daring to investigate Alison-Madueke.

The statement said, “The BMSG notes that President Buhari could not have told the British police how to do their job, or dictated to them to arrest innocent people and charge them to court merely because they were part of the unseated PDP government.”

“The BMSG recalls that the PDP has repeatedly sought to discredit the anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari administration, stressing that the President would never cause to or pencil down anybody for investigation or trial when there is no evidence linking them to wrongdoing.

The BMSG explained that, as a man who is conscious of his integrity, President Buhari would be the last person to link innocent people to crimes they didn’t commit.

The group expressed surprise that the PDP leaders abandoned Alison-Madueke to her fate in London, despite her loyalty to the party.

It therefore advised the PDP to stop disparaging the anti-corruption war, adding that it was wrong for the party to accuse President Buhari of using the crusade as witch-hunt of his political opponents.

The group added that the consequences of corruption harm the larger society, regardless of whether they are members or supporters of the All Progressives Congress or the PDP.

It advised the PDP leaders to sincerely and patriotically join hands with the federal government to make Nigeria better