Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, Chief of Staff to former President Goodluck Jonathan, has denied preventing former Senate President and Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Adolphus Wabara, from seeing Jonathan.
Ogiadomhe described the allegations by Wabara as “face saving”.
Wabara had said he visited Jonathan in 2011 and warned him about the impending loss of power by the PDP if he contests the 2015 presidential poll. He claimed that Jonathan ignored his advice as the PDP lost power but his advice to Jonathan caused Oghiadomhe, then his Chief of Staff, to deny him further access to the President.
But Oghiadomhe said Wabara’s submission was the lamentation of a failed politician.
He said: “Ordinarily I would have ignored the lamentation of the former Senate President as I hate to join issues publicly, but since he cowardly ignored my calls thrice in an attempt to privately seek clarification from him on the unguarded, unsubstantiated and baseless accusations, it is imperative for me to reply him on the same medium.
“I found his submission ridiculous and wondered if he was misquoted. In the first place, he said he visited former President Goodluck Jonathan and warned him not to contest election in 2015. The questions I want Senator Wabara to answer are: “Was I present at his meeting with the former President? What makes him feel that I was privy to the detail of the discussion and resolution of that private meeting? Did he raise the issues with me at any time? If I was not part of such private meeting between him and the former President, how could the decision of such meeting which I was not part of influence me to take action against him?
“It is important to state that Senator Adolphus Wabara, by virtue of his position as former Senate President, is expected to rise above petty helplessness and political despair.
“The PDP collectively decided to field Jonathan as its presidential candidate in 2015. If the decision led to an unfavourable consequence, stakeholders like Senator Wabara should accept collective responsibility and not fish for fall guys.
“Let it be known to the former Senate President that I remain a patriotic Nigerian committed to the wellbeing, unity and progress of the nation that is my priority.”