Presidency Tackles Okah

The Presidency yesterday denied the claim by the  former Leader  of Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, that an aide of President Goodluck Jonathan, asked him to blame the October 1 bombings on Northern politicians.

A statement issued in Abuja by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Ima Niboro, said the allegation by Okah quoted on Al’ Jazeera Network “is an outright lie’’

Niboro said in the statement that the presidency challenged Okah to name the president’s aide that spoke to him on the subject.

The statement urged Okah to face his trial in a South African court on his alleged involvement in the bombings in Nigeria rather than making frivolous claims.

“There is no gainsaying the fact that Okah is a drowning man determined to pull others down with him and there is hardly any purpose to be served by joining issues with an accused mass murderer.

“Okah is a man, who has been known to say one thing and do another and we are not at all surprised by his diversionary rhetoric,” it added.

Okah had alleged that he was arrested in South Africa because he refused to tell MEND to retract a statement claiming responsibility for last week’s bomb explosions in Abuja.

He had alleged that he received a phone call from a “close associate” of Jonathan, urging MEND to withdraw its claim for the bombings, which killed at least 12 people and left 36 others injured.

Okah also alleged that the presidential aide wanted him to blame the attack on northern leaders who are trying to work against Jonathan’s 2011 presidential ambition.