By Abdulwahab Abdulah & Henry Umoru
The planned visit by the national executive officers of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday to Chief Bode George, at the Kirikiri Maximum Prison, Lagos, did not materialise even as he waited endlessly for them.
A reliable source close to George, who was at the prison for a visit, said he (George) was in high spirit in spite of his conviction and was expecting some delegates from the party to visit him preparatory to charting a way forward in solving his problems.
However, he said some unnamed members of the party’s Board of Trustees were at the prison on a solidarity visit.
According to the source, “the party has said they will not in anyway interfere in the judicial process, but will not let him off as well.”
It was learnt that the failure of the national leadership of PDP to show up at the prison was because of the official position of the party on his issue.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Rufai Alkali, the party noted that: “It was unnecessary and counter-productive to impute political undertones to judicial pronouncements, especially when the issues at stake have no direct political bearings.”
The party, according to Alkali, would ensure that judicial process run its full course.
The party said though the former chairman of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) who was sentenced alongside five other board members, reserve the right to appeal the judgment, it stressed that there was no sacred cow in the administration’s strive to operate a zero-tolerance policy on corruption.
Part of the statement reads: “The PDP has observed with amusement the recent activities of some commentators in the media and the undue politicisation of the judgment of an Ikeja High Court involving some former members of the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
“The PDP, therefore, finds it amusing that some politicians have taken advantage of this judgment to cast aspersions on the party as if it was not the PDP government that has provided the enabling environment for the independence of the judiciary.
“We also find it strange that some critics are still unwilling to give credit to the Federal Government even when significant milestones have been achieved and are glaring for all to see.
“Rather than engage idle politicians who have no fresh ideas to offer on the direction of our country, we shall continue to stick to our principles of allowing every judicial process run full circle.
“We also wish to state that Chief Olabode George and the others reserve the right to appeal this judgment just like every other Nigerian and they must not be denied this right for the simple reason that they are involved in politics,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Vanguard source who was at the prison said in spite of the tight visiting schedule of the facility, some of his loyalists and party supporters still thronged there to show their solidarity.
Vanguard also gathered that as a prisoner, the PDP chieftain has been given prison official number but yet to wear the uniform as reported.
He said: “when he joined us at the visiting office, he was wearing a native Buba and Sokoto, not any prison uniform.”
Already, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is putting finishing touches in its response to the ‘bail-pending appeal’ filed by the convicts to get temporary relief from the court that sentenced them.
The anti-graft agency’s counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo, said he will file the processes at the Ikeja High Court Registry today.
God, pls do something about this PDP.
This carnival at the Kirikiri Maximus Penitentiary must be called to a halt.
A prisoner, while remanded, is governed by lay-out rules and rights which includes: visitation. The visitation rights is rationed and timed, with set limits and frequencies. This is blindly applied across the board, without regards to persons or personality – since inmates are equal – being convicted felons.
I don’t care if the PDP chief visits bode george, however, george must be subjected to the same visitation rules in a blanket application. The red-carpet granted to Mr. George must be brought to a halt! The prisoner system must be put on alert by the NGO, to cease from discriminatory dispensation of the well-laid guidelines it is mandated to follow.
The prison officials should be mindful that their act, in it self, is tantamount to aiding and abating a criminal enterprise. If hands were twisted to achieve this undue visitations, the EFCC must investigate and bring the culprits to the book, for obstruction of JUSTICE.
The PDP is a party of shameless dogs that grant succor and reward to criminality. It would have been NOBLE to abhor such trifling behaviors, but NO – it is regarded as a mark of honor – a wrong precedent to our ever watching youths and populous.
Nigeria has been reduced to an orgy of maggots, slimming in their regurgitated pukes. It is really stinking and I’m out of words or oxygen for a never ending reprimands.
It’s very unfortunate that at this age, Nigeria is still crawling like a toddler. What justification does the visitors of the criminal, Bode George have to be parade themselves at the kirikiri Prison to show solidarity. Do they have shame atall? It is only in Nigeria that a criminal will commit crime with impunity and get away with it. Bode George is like any other Nigerian, why is he being given preferential treatment. He is a common criminal and should treated as such. Why would he refused to wear the prison uniform when he is one. Nigeria Government is spending hundreds of millions of naira to rebrand herself without first rebranding themselves as individuals. Nigerians are like toxic waste in the eyes of the international community because of the likes of Bode Geroge who are really destroying the reputation of the country by their misconduct. Instead of the Peoples destructive party chieftains to allow the judicial process to run full circle they have started to scheme on how to manipulate the system in order to get the criminal Bode Goerge of the hook yet the country is spending millions to rebrand herself. Isn’t that decietful and laughable? Nigerians should rise up and fight for the soul of the nation and bluntly say NO to CORRUPTION AND INFLATION OF CONTRACTS.
i pity Nigeria as a country. imagine what is going on, some people connived and stole N85b that belongs to the FG and the nation as a whole and some group of national leaders are contemplating on giving them a solidarity visit for being caught and jailed for just 2yrs. ask of what happened to Madoff earlier in the year in US for stealing almost the same amount Bode and co stole . this thing can only happen in Nigeria …… God help us.
Olabode George offended the powers that be. For him to have been jailed without an option of fine was purely political, because nowhere in the judgement was he accused of enriching himself. His problem must have started when he was allegedly tipped in 2008 to occupy the seat of the Chief of Staff to President Umaru Yar’Adua, because the presidency was said to have given the go ahead for his arrest and trial after his comments in the media on the EFCC was found offensive. The trial has eventually landed him in his current ordeal. His being tipped for that office may not have gone well with some powerful element as well. If not, spliting of contracts is a common phenomenon in all government establishments. Most of those who are even crying crucixion may not be innocent. Infact, this Yar’adua government, when probed after it’s exit, will be the worst government ever posited on Nigeria since independence in terms of corruption. One hardly opens the pages of any newspaper without reading about stealing here and there. May God save Nigeria.
What kind of credit is Yardua govt deserves? Because they jail Bode, huh? Didnt they say Bode is jailed because he didnt sponsor Yardua election with the looted money thats why they allow him to go to jail? Its right up there go read yourself or i should quote it down here? Ok, here it is:
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Professor Rufai Alkali, the party noted that: “It was unnecessary and counter-productive to impute political undertones to judicial pronouncements, especially when the issues at stake have no direct political bearings.”
Let no one be fooled, Ibori’s case is coming up or to and end in 2days. Remember, he directly finance Yardua while Bode didnt but only dancing around during the campaign.
Those PDP chieftains must be mad to even contemplate visiting a convicted criminal in prison. On what grounds will such a visit be justified?.
Do they want to show their solidarity to a comrade in crime who is unlucky to be caught?. It looks more like what you see in Mafia films, where the the criminals on the outside pay their boss a visit in prison.
Keyamo should ask for more jail time to the tune of 30 years. The stolen N85 billion must be recovered too.
What does he expect really?
Hausa/PILANI no send nothing.
PDP is corrupt.
O.Y.O. is the order of the day.
Thieves have no friends. I hope he enjoys his new friends the mosquitoes for another 2 1/2 years