I will never connive against former President Jonathan ―Metuh

THE former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh on Thursday said he did not enter into any deal with the Federal Government to betray former President Goodluck Jonathan.

In a statement titled, “I will never connive against former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR,” the former PDP spokesman said it was not true that he surrendered himself to be used to drag the former President down or to impugn his character and person.

Metuh was reacting to a release by the Save Ijaw Nation Group wherein they alleged that he negotiated the order given by the Federal High Court in Abuja in his trial to let him “off the hook.”

The group, in the release, accused Metuh of surrendering himself to be used to drag down former President Jonathan and impugn his character and person.

Metuh, in his statement, said he is, completely innocent of the charge against him and has no reason to negotiate with anybody to let him off a non-existent hook.

“It is therefore inconceivable and completely ridiculous for anybody to think that I would for any reason betray or surrender myself to be used against President Goodluck Jonathan, for whom I have immense respect and served diligently, without any apologies, in and out of office.

“To what end will I conspire with the same set of people who singled me out to be humiliated and openly handcuffed while spreading all manner of malicious stories against me, most of which they even denied outright in court while others remain completely unsubstantiated?

“Ordinarily, the content of the charge against me in the Federal High Court should not breed any worries but for the fact that it now appears that the anti-corruption fight has shifted the burden of proof to a defendant once an allegation is made.

“On the issue of conniving with the government against former President Goodluck Jonathan, the Save Ijaw Nation Group may be alarmed by successive media reports that he was ordered to be served on Tuesday with an instruction to appear the following day and subsequently given a five-day time limit; setting off a media frenzy as if the former president is needed for reasons more than a mere request by my lawyers for a corroborative evidence in my case.

“I totally concede that this is not deserving of the status, person, an image of the former President especially with his contribution and sacrifices to national development and sustenance of democracy in our dear country,” he said.

He said, with all the controversies arising from the reports of the said pronouncements on Jonathan’s appearance to testify for him, and the attendant concerns thereof, “I have instructed my legal team to revisit and review the entire issue of the subpoena.”

“In the past 20 months I have shouldered my travails personally and without seeking to involve any other individual and/or groups in this unfortunate saga.

“I harbour no ill feeling or malice towards none as I believe that with time, justice will surely be done in my matter,” the statement added.