Editors note: Following the discovery that the national
publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), Olisa Metuh allegedly partook in the sharing of
funds meant to purchase arms for the Nigerian Army
battling insurgency in the northeast.
Political commentator, Kess Ewubare of explains how
Metuh triggered his current travails which may
eventually lead to his political irrelevance.
The PDP has described Metuh's arraignment in
handcuffs as a "brazen display of authoritarianism" by
the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration
Popular for the wrong reasons
For the past weeks, Chief Olisa Metuh has been
popular for all the wrong reasons. Since the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested the national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at his residence located at drive one, Prince and Princess Estate, in the Games Village area of Abuja January 5, he has dominated in all sections of the media.
Metuh is facing investigation for allegedly collecting
about N400m from the office of the former national
security adviser, Sabo Dasuki, part of the funds meant
for the procurement of arms and ammunition for the
fight against Boko Haram in northeast which the
Nigerian Army never received, thanks to patriotic citizens like Metuh.
But the climax of Metuh's predicament came when he
was handcuffed by the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) as
he appeared for his trial at the Federal High Court in
Abuja on Tuesday, January 19.
As expected, the arrest and handcuffing Metuh has
drawn widespread condemnation from the PDP. The opposition has ran to the gallery accusing President
Muhammadu Buhari of using anti-corruption agencies
and other institutions of state to subject accused persons like Metuh to inhuman treatment.
The party also claims Metuh's ordeal at the hands of
the anti-graft agencies was an intent by the All
Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration to deride the PDP as well as taint the party as a party of
corrupt individuals even when they were yet to be convicted by any competent court.
But these baseless accusations by a party which
celebrates people like James Ibori, Peter Odili, Joshua
Dariye, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, Lucky Igbinedion, Chief Bode George, Sambo Dasuki and Goodluck
Jonathan among others who are accused of perpetuating corruption in high places should not come as a surprise to Nigerians.
How Metuh Committe Political Suicide
What the PDP has failed to realise is that Olisa Metuh
committed political suicide when he collected N400m
from Dasuki and still had the nerve to attract attention
to himself by constantly attacking an administration
that was busy trying to deal with the mess that he and
his league of looters had created.
Prior to his arrest, Metuh displayed the kind of
disposition that violates the principle "that he who
comes to equity must come with clean hands" .
Aware that he had skeletons in his cupboard, Metuh should
have kept quiet rather than constantly gallivanting the
media taking swipes at the APC administration which is
battling to clean the filth he and his PDP cohorts have
heaped on the country.
He shot himself in the foot when he chased cheap
popularity by raising alarm that the economy of the
country was crumbling and that the insurgency in the
northeast was worsening when he knew that he was
among those who had milked Nigeria dry and shared
in the blood money many of our gallant soldiers died
for but never received.
In a Punch report dated January 12, 2016, Olisa Metuh
himself made a confessional statement to the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission that
Goodluck Jonathan gave him N400m for a job which
he refused to disclose. This was after he tore his
confessional statement and decided to swallow the
paper so as to eat his words literally.
How PDP is advertising shamelessness
Even after his confession, the PDP has chosen to close
its eye to Metuh's statements by pretending that shame
has gone out of fashion.
In advertising shamelessness, the party still has the
nerve to demand for the release of Metuh, warning that
his arrest was capable of ruining the country's
democracy as stated by its national secretary, Prof.
Adewale Oladipo, in a Punch report of January 5,
2016.
Let's ask this question, if a man who has confessed to
stealing N400M (one million in 400 places) is handcuffed, is it a big deal?
Olisah Metuh deserves what he is getting, he should
have learnt from men like Chief Bode George and Peter
Odili who have chosen to lay low so as to hide their
alleged financial crimes.
One thing is certain following Metuh's arrest, he is on
his way to political irrelevance now that some national
officers of the party have asked him and the acting
chairman, board of trustees, Haliru Mohammed and
others to step down with immediate effect.
Whether his political death comes now or later, Metuh
should bear in mind that he caused his own downfall
by talking too much when he knew he had skeletons in
his cupboard.
The views expressed in this article are the author's
own and do not necessarily represent the editorial
policy of our blog.
Source:Naij.com
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