Metuh Ready To Reveal Jobs He Did For Jonathan - Official

The national publicity secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Oliseh Metuh has indicated his interest to make public all the assignments he did for Nigeria’s past president, Goodluck Jonathan during the last presidential election.

Olisa Metuh,national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presently in EFCC custody.

Metuh who has been held by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the past one week said he will only reveal details of all assignment he did for Jonathan before a court of law where his statement cannot be distorted.

A statement by Metuh’s special adviser, Richard Ihediwa said the attempt by the anti-graft agency to raise public sentiments against his principal is a blackmail and scheme to pitch him (Metuh) against the public.

“The grand design to sway the public and derail the course of proper investigation started with misleading and malicious reports that Chief Metuh made away with N1.4 billion arms deal cash and had been receiving a monthly N4 million stipend from the Office of the National Security Adviser. When this deliberate falsehood could not be sustained, it was adjusted to him receiving N400 million from ONSA.” Ihediwa said.

Ihediwa said the reports that Metuh told investigators he will rather starve than refund any money is false.

“This office wishes to state categorically that Chief Metuh has fully cooperated with investigators within his constitutionally guaranteed rights.

“In exercise of his rights, he has since given his statement to the EFCC wherein he submitted that he received the sum of N400 million from the former President for an assignment, which he executed to the satisfaction of the former President,” he said.

Ihediwa said his boss believes his continued detention and failure to charge him to court is a deliberate act by the EFCC to prevent Metuh from making his side of the story public.

“We wish to state that contrary to the impression that the issue of N400 million was a product of investigation, it was actually a product of Chief Metuh’s voluntary statement. Chief Metuh had since informed that sometime in December 2015, the ONSA published an invitation to companies they believed executed contracts for it for a chat.

“Upon ONSA invitation via a text message, Chief Metuh, regardless of the fact that he did not execute any contract for the Office, appeared before the ONSA panel, wherein he presented his company’s statement of account showing that the sum of N400 million paid on the instruction of the ex-President for an assignment was traceable to the ONSA account,” he said.

Ihediwa said the party, PDP is worried at the continued media persecution of his principal.

“This office urges Nigerians not to lose sight of the sequence and inconsistencies in the investigation and publications regarding Chief Metuh’s case. We believe that in this case, the law must not be suspended but applied in its full measure by charging and allowing Chief Metuh to state his case in the open court instead of this continued media persecution against him,” he added.

Metuh was arrested by the EFCC on Tuesday, January 5 following allegations of his involvement in the $2.1 billion arms deal saga.

Metuh, the EFCC acting chairman, Ibrahim Magu said received over N400 million from the arms money.

Magu also said the PDP spokesperson has refused to say anything on the money he received.

The EFCC scribe, however, confirmed the restitution of N100 million by one of President Buhari’s associate, Jafaru Isa, previously held by the anti-graft agency.