PDP factions: I ‘ve no plans to influence Court of Appeal — Obasanjo

BY DAUD OLATUNJI

…Says allegation a tissue of lies
ABEOKUTA—FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo, yesterday, refuted allegation by a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State, that he was planning to influence the outcome of an Appeal Court case involving the financier of PDP in Ogun State, Prince Buruji Kashamu and the party.

Chief Adebayo Dayo-led State Executive Committee had in a petition to the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab A. Bulkachuwa, accused Obasanjo of planning to influence the outcome of an appeal pending before the Lagos Division of the appellate court.

Reacting to the allegation, Obasanjo through a statement by his Media Assistant, Vitalis Ortese,  dismissed the allegation as nothing but a tissue of lies.

According to the  statement “the attention of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, has been drawn to an allegation published on page 12 in the Punch Newspapers of Thursday, 17 January, 2013, and on page 62 of the Nation of the same date, that one “Adebayo Dayo” in a petition dated January 15, 2013 and addressed to the President of the Court of Appeal, alleged that the former president had through his lawyer, Chief Afe Babalola, secured an assurance from the presiding justice of the Lagos Division of the appeal Court, to influence the outcome of an appeal pending before it in Lagos.

“The allegation is nothing but a tissue of lies,” the statement said.

“The allegation is nothing but a tissue of lies. The former President has nothing to do with the case in question and has neither spoken with Chief Afe Babalola on any such case nor had given him any money to ever give to any judge in respect of the case.

“This type of lies is propagated by despicable characters like “Adebayo Dayo” and “Buruji Kasamu,” who peddle falsehood in the hope of sustaining baseless cases and allegations for the most regrettable and deplorable reasons.”