Segun Oni, deputy national chairman (south) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Wednesday said if he was a supreme court judge and Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transport, attempted to influence court judgements through bribery, he would have been arrested.
In an interview with journalists, Oni said the allegations by the judges against Amaechi would not be taken seriously because of late timing.
Sylvester Ngwuta and John Okoro, both justices of the supreme court, had accused Amaechi of attempting to bribe them.
“I am not in the position to defend Amaechi, but I feel very very sad. I am very sad that a justice of the supreme court could come up much later to say somebody attempted to bribe him,” he said.
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“If I am a justice of the supreme court, that person would not spend another week before he is arrested. So, because it is a crime, if you see somebody committing crime and you keep quiet and now you are talking about it, do you want people to take you seriously?
“It’s like somebody saying I saw somebody committed rape last year and I didn’t do anything about it. I don’t think that sounds wise. I am not exonerating anybody and there can be investigation.”
He dismissed the statement of Timi Frank, deputy national publicity secretary of the APC, who said the party may be no more by 2019.
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Oni said said APC party is the “strongest base that any political system has in Nigeria today”.
“I don’t see that as a reasonable thing to say. I am sorry, whoever said that, I don’t see it as a reasonable thing to say,” he said.
“If anybody says it would not last till 2019, I would say that is wishful thinking, and it is not one of the most reasonable things to say. We can have problems, we will face our problems as its comes, we are not saying that there won’t be turbulent times. If there are turbulent times, we go through it. Turbulent times are normal.
“Even the PDP in its own period had turbulent times and it went through it, but to say that the extreme to now be thinking that the APC may not exist till 2019, we are already in 2016. You shouldn’t take such a person seriously.”
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5 comments
Your comment..Sir, why are we so hypocritical! The cases being investigated now by EFCC were not committed today. It does not matter when a crime was committed. It can be visited even 100 years later as the need arises. why are you indirectly backing Amaechi? why why why must you talk? Politics has made you sell your conscience and fear of God.
It really baffles me when somebody of your calibre is blinded to the truth by calling white black. If you would like to remember that, the embattle Ameachi Rotimi ( Former governor of Rivers State) was accused of embezzlement and misappropriation of state money with facts and figures by the state yet EFCC, DSS, APC and Pres. Buhari who claim to fight corruption in Nigeria were blinded to it and allowed it to be slide under the carpet. Now, 2 imminent Judges of a competent court of jurisdiction are levelling an allegation of bribery and corruption against this same notorious Minister and you Segun Oni is supporting Ameachi and blaming the Judges. Do not forget that whatever you sow you will also reap it. The judgement of God awaits of all of you deceptive Nigerian Leaders.
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Amaechishould be probed. A judge of that high standing cannot come out with such serious allegation and you will not take him seriously. why is Amaechi silent on the allegation? if Segun is serious let him ask Amaechi to take those Judges to court. Does it matter when you have to come up against a wrong doing? Segun may also have skeletons in his cupboard that is why he has come out publicly to support is colleague to run down the judges.
If the President is really serious on fighting corruption, He should take seriously the allegation made against Amaechi by these judges. No one should be a sacred cow or a scape goat, what is good for the geese should also be good for the gander. So my dear President Buhari tell your DSS or secret Police to turn their searchlight inward because two Judges of such high standing could not have conspired against Amaechi,he is not the only minister in your cabinet. This allegation should be looked into and not to be swept under…. with APC Broom rather the rubbish must be swept out for Nigerians to know the truth and nothing but the truth. We are waiting and also watching.
I wonder what point the gentleman APC Chieftain is trying to make.Amaechi needs to be probed by the country’s intelligence system .This is a scandalous allegation of gargantuan proportions and should never be allowed to slide under the carpet by such weak argument as saying that the allegations are coming late. Na was oh