ionigeria.com Nigerian Newspaper
A group, Diaspora Independent Justice awareness (DIJA) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to call to order, his supporters who are bent on pitching ex-aide of Jonathan, Reno Omokri with the government through their continuous peddling of his name as the one who accused Buhari of donating to U.S Hillary Clinton’s campaign.
In a statement signed by the group’s Secretary, Mr. John Obuh, and made available to newsmen on Monday, the group said it had uncovered plots by the Buhari’s aides which is to have the former aides of ex-President Jonathan arrested for libellous charges against the president.
“Our attention has been drawn to the continued plot to pitch the Former special assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on New Media, Reno Omokri with the current federal government of President Muhammadu Buhari by both one of President Buhari’s aide, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie who is equally his Special Assistant on Social Media and one Mr. Kayode Ogundamisi, a top supporter of the President Muhammadu Buhari government.”
“These two of Buhari’s supporters have continued to peddle the name of Reno as being the one who accused the President of donating a whopping sum of $500million to Hillary Clinton campaign in the recently concluded U.S presidential elections.”
“We condemn this act which is nothing but a campaign of calumny and character assassination of the person of Reno Omokri. We want to let these two know that we already know their plots which is to dissuade the federal government into arresting Mr. Reno Omokri under the pretext that he made libellous claims on the person of President Buhari.”
“To set the records straight, we want to draw these two’s attention to the origin of the alleged accusation since even Buhari’s assistant on Social media, Lauretta Onochie is blind enough or, even as we have observed, incompetent of her office to be wary of what goes-on on the social media.”
“The said allegation emanated from a U.S. non-governmental group, the American Black Group for Democracy, who, in a video, purportedly alleged that Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari had donated $500m (about N150bn) to Clinton’s failed bid for the White House.”
“In the said video, the group claimed that the money was pledged to the US Secretary of State, Sen John Kerry, and US Ambassador in Abuja; adding that the donation may create a huge misunderstanding between Nigeria and the incoming Trump’s US government.”
“The group claimed that President Buhari, an Islamist fundamentalist, has a visible hatred for Mr Donald Trump, especially when the US president elect allegedly made some statements which the Nigerian presidential sources claimed is demeaning and a threat to the Islamic faith.”
“It also alleged that the Obama government, which Hillary Clinton served as Secretary of State frustrated the Nigerian former government’s war against the Islamist terror group, Boko haram by blocking every source of sourcing arms against the terrorists.”
“The U.S group who saw Buhari’s donation as an appreciation or a pay back to the Obama’s government that frustrated Nigerian government under Goodluck Jonathan added that Mr Kerry’s frequent visit to Northern Nigerian may not be unconnected to the process to release the funds, as Buhari later quickly mobilized some Northern elders and his party governors of Northern inner circle who helped to facilitate a quick and secret ferrying of the money with secured Presidential Fiat.”
“It said the defeat of Hillary Clinton was, however, received as a great shock by the Nigerian government.” “Therefore, we still wonder why, after the public knowledge of the origin of the said allegation, these two of Buhari’s supporters in the persons of Lauretta Onochie and Kayode Ogundamisi have still continued to peddle such lies that it was Reno Omokri that made the allegation.”
“However, we still want to refer them to the statement refuting the claim by the Senior Special assistant to President Buhari on media and Publicity, Garba Shehu. In the statement, Shehu while denying the allegation, did not mention Reno as the originator of the allegation haven known that it did not emanate from him.”
“We equally refer them to a statement made by Reno and published on national dailies where he equally stated that he never made such allegations.”
“Also, even the All Progressives Congress, APC has tweeted to Reno apologising for mistaking him for the originator of the allegation.”
“We therefore call on the president to call these two to order as their only plan is to soil the image of Buhari-led federal government. They want the world to see Buhari as a despot opposed to democracy and the rule of law.”
