A press release issued in Pretoria on Wednessday by the Publicity Secretary, Action Congress of Nigeria South Africa Chapter, Comrade Daini Olusesan.
I will start this press release with the words of Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Prof. Tam David-West in an interview he granted reporters few days ago. “What is happening to Tinubu embarrasses any Nigerian who loves Nigeria. Tinubu and I are not in the same political camp but what they are doing to him is a political persecution and I completely condemn it. Who is on trial is not Tinubu but Nigeria. It shows that our politics is primitive, very vindictive and so satanic. If Tinubu as governor made mistakes, why didn’t they bring it out before now? He was there for eight years. It is so stupid and silly to try him 12 years after allegedly commited the offence. Why didn’t they use it to disqualify him when he was re-contesting? It is political. They are embarrassing themselves and Nigeria, not Tinubu.
“Nigerians should rise up against the trial. They should give Tinubu the same solidarity they gave Justice Salami. Jonathan knows about it,”
On September 10, 2011, the Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan of the ruling party (PDP) that has been saddled with the task of making public institutions and infrastructure work, decided to go for the jugular of the man considered the numero uno in the ranks of the political opposition in Nigeria: Our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). As the Obasanjo administration once dusted up a dead sedition law, the Jonathan government chose to revisit a case considered dead years ago in all materials particular.
The Code of Conduct Bureau had in 2006 made public charges against 15 governors. One of them was Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of Lagos State. Unlike others (including then Governor Goodluck Jonathan of Bayelsa State), who were accused of abusing their offices and feasting on their states’ treasuries, the then Lagos State governor who merely said to have kept open foreign accounts that he opened many years before he became a public official.
No one who understands the Nigerian economy and the worth of the former Treasurer of Mobil, ex-Senator, former governor and a leading investor in the Nigerian private sector would think he stole the money. Besides, some of the accounts belong to children schooling in the U.S. and each below 1,000 Pounds. How many Nigerians have children in the U.S or Europe now? Why should it be surprising that Tinubu’s children are also there or that provisions are made for their upkeep? Could the Code of Conduct Bureau come up with details of when the accounts were opened, whether they were operated while Tinubu was in office and the balances in the various accounts so touted before the public?
It is worthy of note that the trial of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is politically motivated and it promptly re-enacted the history of war against the progressive bloc by the power that be. It is reminiscent of the arraignment of the first Leader of Opposition, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo of the Action Group, before the Coker Commission of Inquiry and later at Justice George Sowemimo’s High Court for treasonable felony trial.
As the entire progressive elements in the country rallied round the former Action Group (AG) leader and premier of Western Region during the dark period, so the ACN family and other men of goodwill should swarmed on Asiwaju Tinubu, in a manner that will translate the trial into a big national issue that places democracy on trial.
Even, outside the country, the victimisation of the opposition leader generated interest. Friends of Nigeria sought for explanations for the alleged attempt to crumble the opposition from government officials who were recently at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly meeting in New York, United States.
LIKE the devil, the hawks are highly destructive. They exist only to steal, kill and destroy the chicken population. The birds typify the ruling parties in underdeveloped societies. They regard the opposition leaders as irritants who must be taken out of the way in order to perpetuate their hold on power. We condemn in strong terms the victimization of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the Code of Conduct Bureau.
LONG LIVE ACN SOUTH AFRICA
LONG LIVE ACN NIGERIA
LONG LIVE NIGERIA
Comrade Daini Olusesan
Publicity Secretary,
Action Congress of Nigeria, South Africa Chapter
Pretoria, Sept. 28th 2011
