A First Republic Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, has told the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) not to grant waiver to a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to contest the party’s primary for Adamawa governorship election.
Clark, who spoke at a press conference at his residence in Abuja on Thursday, said Ribadu had no political value and that the enemies of President Goodluck Jonathan were the sponsors of the ex-boss of EFCC.
Ribadu recently defected from the All Progressives Congress to the PDP and he has collected the party’s Expression of Interest form to participate in the October 11 bye-election in Adamawa.
But Clark, in an open letter he addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, which he read to journalists, said there was nothing positive Ribadu would bring to the ruling party.
He said, “What, really, is our party receiving so joyfully? What is the political value of this emerging treachery, the well-established bone-marrow trademark of the man, Ribadu?
“In 2011 election, Ribadu ran for President on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, lost at his family home polling booth, and also his ward, scored a mere 32 votes in Yola, and 32,786 total in Adamawa, against Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s 344,526 and President Goodluck Jonathan’s 508,314.”
He said Ribadu would at the end betray Jonathan.
The Ijaw leader said even when the President saved Ribadu from public disgrace by converting his dismissal to retirement as Assistant Inspector General of police, the former anti-graft boss has refused to show gratitude to Jonathan.
Clark said, “Seemingly, not imbued with a spirit of gratitude, Ribadu has, up till this moment, failed to show respect to Mr. President, who magnanimously saved him the odious stigma of the status of ‘dismissed-with-ignomy’ to the honourable one of ‘retirement-with-full-benefits’
“Not only that, Jonathan’s administration dressed him up with a high-profile appointment as chairman of the Petroleum Revenue Special Task Force Committee, against the run of play.
“His response? A failed drama of trumped-up indictment of government, the fingers that thought to feed his thinned-out public image, following battering it rightly received during the Yar’Adua administration.”
Clark said that even Ribadu’s friends in the ruling party had failed to celebrate his defection from the opposition APC.
He alleged that the defection was a script by the opposition against the President.
He also said the former anti-corruption crusader was known for raising false alarms against governors elected on the platform of the PDP in the past while serving as the chairman of the EFCC.
He said Ribadu was also involved in the impeachment and attempted impeachment of many governors in the past.
He, therefore, warned the leadership of the party against granting Ribadu any waiver to enable him contest the party’s governorship primary in Adamawa State. – Punch.
Pa Edwin Clarke may be called an old man but he has a sound mind which could be compared to that of a vibrant young man.
I don’t have anything against Ribadu though, sincerely I won’t for any reason discard Chief Clarke ‘ s assessment, if I were to be the one so advised by Clarke.
Why must these people who were in APC all these while, wanting to aspire under the party that they believe in the party’s so called ideals suddenly want to dissociate themselves “for a season” to get to the seat of power.
These new candidates wanting to contest through the platform of PDP shouldn’t deny not knowing about the so much ills of Nyako before his impeachment. They could have availed themselves the opportunity to proof their uprightness by dumping APC long before now.
Chief Clarke is allowed to express his opinion, but is he objective about this? Is he not Jonathan’s political godfather? I would take whatever he says with a grain of sal if I were you. Opinion, after all, is an ass. Nigeria press should stop serving as the megaphone for this demented minds.
I agree that no waiver should be given to any of these guys coming in from other parties until after two years probational periods. They should be forced to publicly deny their involvment with their former parties and be made to to counter their former parties statements