Former spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh has said he would never betray ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

Background:

• The EFCC had arraigned Metuh and his company, Destra Investments Limited for receiving N400 million meant for procurement of arms from the office of the National Security Adviser.
• Metuh had asked the court subpoena Jonathan to appear as a defence witness.

What he said:

Metuh said his decision to ask Jonathan to testify was to prove his innocence.

“It is, therefore, inconceivable and completely ridiculous for anybody to think that I would for any reason betray or surrender myself to be used against President Goodluck Jonathan, for whom I have immense respect and served diligently, without any apologies, in and out of office,” he said in a statement.

“To what end will I conspire with the same set of people, who singled me out to be humiliated and openly handcuffed, while spreading all manner of malicious stories against me, most of which they even denied outright in court while others remain completely unsubstantiated?

“Ordinarily, the content of the charge against me in the Federal High Court should not breed any worries but for the fact that it now appears that the anti-corruption fight has shifted the burden of proof to a defendant once an allegation is made.

“Without prejudice to all the foregoing, I accept that it was the need for corroboration of lack of mens rea on my part that led my lawyers to request for the evidence of the respected former President to assist them in proving my innocence.”

He added that he has asked his lawyers to review the subpoena due to the controversies.

“However, with all the controversies arising from the reports of the said pronouncements and the attendant concerns thereof, I have instructed my legal team to revisit and review the entire issue of the subpoena,” he added.

Azeez