The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State has said that the State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) comment on the purported visit of the Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari to the United States of America (USA) as a function of total ignorance and mischief, saying; “Even the Presidency has not told anyone that wife of the President travelled to the USA and in official communications, only ignorant and mischief makers in the APC will belief that a trip to the USA will be made by Mrs Buhari and Nigerians will only get to know about it through online media.”
The PDP, which said it would have ignored the APC and allowed those in the party to continue to wallop in their self-deceit, added that “it is only in the world of the APC that wife of the President of Nigeria, the most populous black nation in the world would travel to the USA, ostensibly to debunk her involvement in a major scam and no television station will report her departure and arrival. The question is, did she travel to USA or Qatar?”
In a statement issued on Monday by the State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Jackson Adebayo, the party said; “If the Presidency has not been bold enough to tell Nigerians that Mrs Aisha Buhari travelled to the USA on official visit, only a party of scammers like the APC will go on the rooftops to celebrate photoshoped pictures as evidence of visit to USA.”
The party said “it is strange that wife of the President of Nigeria could travel to the USA and purportedly attended events there without international television stations like CNN, Al jazeera, BBC, Sky News etc and local stations like Channels TV, NTA, AIT and others reporting it. Or are they still ‘editing’ the video clips?”
While casting doubt at the purported trip, the PDP said: “Even if Mrs Aisha Buhari actually travelled to the USA, does that erase the fact that in the judgment delivered by the United State District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, USA, in criminal No 1: 07CR209, that indicted the USA Congressman, Williams Jefferson, it was mentioned that $170,000 was transferred from account in Nigeria in the name of Aisha Buhari to an account in the name of The ANJ Group, LLC, identifying William Jefferson as beneficiary?”
The statement read further; “As a party of responsible and discerning minds, the PDP in Ekiti State would have elected to ignore the APC and allow the party the freedom to advertise it idiocy. This is more so that the matter is now a subject of litigation and the no one has denied the existence of the judgment that indicted Williams Jefferson and featured conspicuously at page 22, the name of Aisha Buhari as having transferred $170,000 from account in Nigeria to William Jefferson.
“Most importantly, Nigerians have witnessed more heinous forgeries from the APC, one of them being pictorial claim that President Buhari (as APC presidential candidate then) had an interview with Kemi Fadojutimi on ‘All Eyes on Africa’ TV show in London, whereas the interview was held in Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
“However, it is important to point out that from all evidences, the pictures circulated as arrival of President Buhari’s wife at Dulles International Airport, Washington DC could have been taken at the Doha International Airport, Qatar. Even on the official website of George Mason University and US Institute of Peace, USA where the president’s was said to have attended events, there is nothing to show that she attended any event in the two institutions.
“We have seen pictures of Wife of the Senate President, Toyin Saraki with President Barrack Obama’s wife, Michelle. We also saw pictures of Mrs Patience Jonathan with Michelle Obama when she visited the USA. Where are Aisha Buhari’s pictures with the First Lady of USA and major government officials from the country? Or could she have arrived and departed from the USA like a spirit?”
“It is even more important that nothing official has been said about the purported trip. Not from the President’s spokespersons.”
All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ekiti State has described the state governor, Ayo Fayose as a man who lacks integrity.
The party said the trip by the wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari to the United States of America, US, has exposed that Fayose goofed by linking Mrs. Buhari with the Halliburton scandal.
Fayose had earlier claimed that Mrs. Buhari dared not travel to the US because she would be arrested for her involvement in the scandal.
But APC spokesman, Taiwo Olatunbosun, in a statement said the visit of the President’s wife to America last week has exposed the governor as a “liar.”
He said the President’s wife did not only visit America, but also met with the United States government’s top leaders, United Nation’s officials and several NGOs that promised her cash and materials in aid of the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the North East.
The party maintained that Ekiti people did not deserve a leader without respect among Nigerians over his indecent conduct, including recklessly telling lies, as well as other unbecoming behaviours that were disgraceful to the integrity of the people of Ekiti State.
Halliburton: Fayose’s lawyer replies Buhari’s wife, justifies claim of her involvement
Counsel to Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has replied the wife of President Mohammadu Buhari, Mrs Aisha Buhari through her counsel, Mary Ekpere & Co, justifying the governor’s claim that Mrs Aisha Buhari was indeed mentioned in the Halliburton scandal.
In the letter dated July 8, 2016, Ozekhome affirmed that the statement made regarding the involvement of Mrs Aisha Buhari in the Halliburton scandal was “correct and justified in law, having regards to a court judgment convicting one Mr William Jefferson for bribery in the Halliburton case.”
Counsel to the president’s wife, Mary Ekpere & Co had written a letter dated June 22, 2016, to Governor Fayose, demanding a retraction of the governor’s statement that the President’s wife was involved in the Halliburton scandal, threatening legal action if the retraction was not made within five days.
However, Ozekhome said the statement of Governor Fayose was correct and justified, having been factually premised on an existing court judgment.
The letter read; “Our client has referred to us your letter dated 22nd June, 2016, on alleged defamation of the character of your client , Her Excellency, Mrs Aisha Buhari, the wife of Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, with firm instructions to reply to and reject same in its entirety.
“Our client states and reaffirms categorically that the statement he made as regards the involvement of Mrs Aisha Buhari, the wife of President Buhari, in the Halliburton scandal, is correct and justified in law; having regards to a court judgement convicting one Mr William Jefferson for bribery in the Halliburton case.
“Therein, the name of the President’s wife featured conspicuously. At page 22 of the said judgment delivered by the United State District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Alexandria Division, USA, in criminal No 1: 07CR209, the said Mr William Jefferson was sentenced at 9.00 am on November 13, 2009, by Mark D, Lytle. Your client, Mrs Aisha Buhari was specifically mentioned in the judgment. The judge referred to Exhibits 36-87 in the following words, for clarification;
“See also Government Exhibits 36-87 (6/26/02 $170,000 wire transfer from account in Nigeria in the name of Aisha Buhari to an account in the name of The ANJ Group, LLC, identifying “William Jefferson” as Beneficiary)… Given the age of the defendant, the severity of the sentence calculated by the Probation Office, the defendant’s frequent travel overseas and unexplained wire transfers from overseas locations to financial accounts used by the defendant, the defendant cannot rebut the presumption at sentencing that he is a risk of flight.
“The said Williams Jefferson is currently serving a jail term in the USA and to the best of our client’s knowledge; this judgment has not been challenged, or set aside by any Appellate court of law anywhere in the world.
“The statement of His Excellency, our client, is therefore correct and justified, same having been factually premised on an existing court judgment above referred to.”
On the immunity enjoyed by Governor Fayose against civil and criminal proceedings, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria said; “Your attention is also hereby drawn to Section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as altered, on the immunity enjoyed by our client from civil or criminal proceedings for the period that he occupies the office of the governor of Ekiti State.
“You may therefore advise your client to wait until after 16th October, 2018, when our client’s tenure expires. When that happens, we shall join issues with your client in a competent court of law, in the event that your client does not have a change of heart.”
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