LAGOS human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana has described as scandalous the statement credited to former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo that he was deceived into attending the reception in honour of Chief Olabode George, saying: “it should be discountenanced by Nigerians.”
Falana who spoke in a telephone interview with The Nation last night said even from Obasanjo’s own account, there was no evidence of misrepresentation whatsoever as the reception programme was well-publicized in the media before the D-day.
“Now former president Obasanjo got to the venue and discovered that it was not a gathering of Area Boys, but the collection of the crème dela crème of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Federal Government. Why did he not withdraw from the event when he found out that it was a celebration of criminality?” Falana queried.
Discomfited, Falana said: “Instead of resorting to bracing opportunism, there was a belated a diatribe of Chief Bode George. The ex-president should apologize to Nigerians for assaulting their moral integrity.”
Raising a poser, he said: “Why has it taken one week to discover that he was tricked to attend that programme? Is he not aware that the return of an ex-convict from prison is a sober event or did the summary by Venerable Tayo Aduloju’s sermon not strike a cord in the conscience of ex-president Obasanjo? More so, that he was the one who launched the anti-corruption crusade under which Chief Bode George was jailed?
Was President Goodluck Jonathan also tricked to send a powerful delegation to the show of shame?”
“Obasanjo should therefore be advised to tell his cock and bull story to the marine”, he stressed.
It may be recalled that George and five others were arraigned on August 8, 2008 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 163-count charge, bordering on abuse of office in the award of over N100 billion as Board Chairman of the Nigeria Ports Authority without recourse to the due process.
He was later convicted in October 2009 by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Lagos High Court, Ikeja and jailed for two years alongside others on a seven-count charge of abuse of office and six months each on another 27-count charge of disobedience to constituted authority.
Having served his prison sentence and subsequently regained freedom penultimate Saturday, a committee of friends decided to hold a reception in his honour.
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