Before the Jury of TheCable newspaper holden at Lagos this 15th day of September, 2014 between Outraged Nigerians (plaintiffs) and President Goodluck Jonathan (defendant)

THE CLAIMS

THAT you, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Adult, Male, Christian, being the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, on Tuesday 8th of September, 2014, took Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as a member of your official delegation to Chad despite the accusation against him that he is a sponsor of Boko Haram;

THAT same day, you further held a sensitive security meeting with President Idriss Deby of Chad on terrorism in Nigeria with Senator Ali Modu Sheriff in attendance;

THAT your action is inimical to the anti-terror war and created the impression that you are at home with those accused of sponsoring Boko Haram.

THE DEFENCE

THAT you, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, did not include Senator Sheriff in your official delegation as you only arrived the Ndjamena airport to find the said Ali Modu Sheriff in the welcome team of President Idriss Deby of Chad;

THAT you did not hold any security meeting with President Idriss Deby in the presence of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the Chadian President only paid you a courtesy call at your hotel in company with the said Senator Ali Modu Sheriff who is President Deby’s personal friend;

THAT even though Senator Ali Modu Sheriff has been accused of sponsoring terror, you will allow investigation to go through due process;

THAT you will not interfere in the work of the security agencies;

THAT the protest by the opposition party was purely political and insincere as Senator Ali Modu Sheriff was one of them until he defected to the ruling party only recently and they did not distance themselves from him all along.

THE JUDGMENT

WHEREAS Outraged Nigerians said Senator Ali Modu Sheriff was a member of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s delegation to Chad, we find no truth in this;

WHEREAS Outraged Nigerians said Senator Ali Modu Sheriff participated in a sensitive security meeting between President Jonathan and President Deby, this allegation was not proved beyond reasonable doubt as the photograph of the three persons sitting together in a room does not conclusively prove that it was a “sensitive security meeting” as alleged.

WHEREAS Dr. Jonathan claimed that Senator Sheriff is still undergoing investigation and is not yet found guilty, TheCable Jury finds this justification unacceptable as photographs of the two of them together is capable of jeopardising the work of the security agencies who may take this as a signal that Senator Sheriff should not be touched.

WHEREAS Dr. Jonathan claimed that the attack against him over the Sheriff affair was politically motivated since the opposition hobnobbed with Senator Sheriff before he jumped ship, we do not find this an acceptable reason because this is a political season and the President should be careful of his actions and inactions;

WHEREAS Outraged Nigerians said Dr. Jonathan must have known ahead of time that Senator Sheriff was coming to the airport to welcome him, we are unable to reach a decision on this because even if Dr. Jonathan was told before hand, the responsibility of picking a welcome team still lies with the host. However, the fact that Senator Sheriff further went to the hotel in company with President Derby to visit President Jonathan is an indication that the Nigerian President did not object to being photographed yet again with Senator Sheriff.

THEREFORE, TheCable Jury acquits and discharges President Jonathan on the first charge of naming Senator Sheriff in his official delegation for lack of evidence;

THEREFORE, TheCable July further acquits President Jonathan on the second charge of holding a sensitive meeting with President Deby with Senator Sheriff in attendance for lack of sufficient proof, but the Jury cannot discharge President Jonathan because being photographed twice on the same day at different locations with Senator Sheriff is a clear sign that President Jonathan did not object to Senator Sheriff’s presence around him.

TheCable Jury hereby rules that whereas the President is NOT GUILTY on the first charge and PARTIALLY GUILTY on the second charge, he is nonetheless GUILTY on the third charge.

HENCEFORTH, President Jonathan should not be seen to be cosy with persons who are under investigation for serious crimes until they are cleared. If the President could sack Princess Stella Oduah from his cabinet when there was yet no court pronouncement on the charges against her, then the President can also avoid publicly associating with those still under investigation.

Shall the court please arise…