Jonathan orders suspension of campaign director
…Over attack on Buhari, Ribadu
From TAIWO AMODU, Abujas
Thursday, March 24, 2011


•Buhari
Photo: Sun News Publishing
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For ignoring his directive not to join opposition parties in smear campaigns, the Peoples Democratic Party, [PDP] Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) has suffered a casualty as President Goodluck Jonathan, on Tuesday, ordered the suspension of the PCC Director of Research and Strategy, Mr. Mike Omeri.

A Daily Sun source revealed that at its stormy meeting held on Tuesday at the Legacy House with members of the PCC in attendance, President Jonathan expressed his displeasure over a statement issued last weekend by Mike Omeri, in which he cast aspersion on the integrity of the Congress for Progressive Change, (CPC) presidential candidate, General Muhamadu Buhari and his Action Congress of Nigeria, (ACN) counterpart, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and threatened to expose them.

In the statement signed by Omeri and published in some national dailies, the PCC noted that the antecedents of ‘’the two self-acclaimed anti-corruption ’stars’ had proved that they had their hands soiled with acts of corruption when they were in government.” On Buhari, Omeri recalled that in 1984, as Head of State, the CPC presidential candidate exhibited double standards in public administration by allowing 52 suit cases suspected to be filled with hard currency brought in by his ADC to enter the country without passing through checks for the mandatory Customs clearance.

The PCC Director of Research and Strategy, therefore submitted that the 1984 incident was a clear case of money laundering and ‘’wondered what moral right such a candidate had to talk about corruption.’’ The statement also took the ACN presidential candidate to the cleaners and recalled that in 2007, while answering questions before the Senate on the alleged acts of corruption by some governors, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the former chairman of the anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) said the alleged sleaze perpetrated by former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu “was of international dimension.”

“Is it not curious that the same person with such a tag is now the political godfather of Ribadu and sole financier of his political campaigns?’’ Omeri further stated in the statement. Daily Sun source revealed that the President also demanded explanation from Omeri on why he persisted in ignoring his instructions that the PCC Publicity Department should focus on issues and restrain from indulging in spurious attacks on his main opponents.

“President Jonathan was not convinced with the defence put up by Omeri and his boss, Director of Publicity, Abba Dabo and ordered Omeri out of the meeting. He further gave an instruction for his suspension from the campaign activities.’’ Daily Sun findings revealed that the PCC Director of Research had since been suspended until further notice.

A copy of his Query/Suspension Letter dated 22nd March, 2011 and signed by the Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Dalhatu Tafida, accused Omeri of pronouncements on the campaigns without clearance and accordingly placed him on suspension until further notice.
The letter, a copy of which was made available by a Daily Sun source reads:

‘’In spite of repeated warnings to you to desist from pronouncements on the campaign without clearance from either the Director of Publicity, or Deputy Director-General, or Director-General, you have persisted in this direction and thereby embarrassed the campaign with unauthorized statements that are at variance with the values and principles of our presidential candidate.

You are accordingly suspended from your duties as Director of Research and Strategy until further notice while you are required to respond within 24 hours as to why stronger sanctions should not be applied to you.”