‘Fake CLO organizes protest for Patience Jonathan’-Comrade Ezike

Emmanuel Udom

Comrade Egbuodike Ezike, executive director, Civil Liberties Organization Friday said that CLO is not part of the protest that is trying to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC) from investigating Patience Jonathan, wife of Dr Goodluck Jonathan, the immediate past president of Nigeria.

Ezike in a telephone interview with our correspondent said that Nigerians should disassociate themselves with the protest purportedly organized by the organization.

But, Karl Chinedu UchegbU, zonal chairman and Styvn Obodoekwe, zonal director respectively in a press statement issued Friday stated that the protest is not necessary.Top of Form

The statement read:  

Our attention has been drawn to a protest march organized in Port Harcourt today Friday, September 23 against EFCC over the hunting of Dame Goodluck patience by the EFCC.

Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, was not only enlisted as part of the CSOs involved in the protest, but a protest banner bearing CLO was said to have been used for the said protest. On The protest banner is boldly written, EFCC, leave Mrs Patience Jonathan alone.

It has always been the position of the South-South zone of the CLO that EFCC has been reduced to an attack dog and weapon of vengeance by the federal government headed by General Buhari.

 It has always been our position that EFCC has been too selective in carrying out its duties, and this selectivity has continued to impose a big question mark on the sincerity and genuineness of the EFCC in its so-called war on corruption.

Concentrating on perceived enemies of federal government and its party has given out the Commission as a tool of witch hunting.

It has also been our position that EFCC should stop shielding corrupt elements in Buhari’s cabinet and until this is done, we can never be deceived by the antics of the commission and those using it to hunt their enemies.

It has also always been our position that fighting corruption or criminality with illegality is not only a bigger form of corruption, but an injustice. It is unacceptable. Ignoring court orders, confiscating peoples’ assets without due process, finding victims guilty through media trials and so on as always adopted by the EFCC are condemnable.

We condemn the ordeals of Dame Patience Jonathan more so, as we consider it as part of the diversionary tactics of the presidency to divert peoples’ attentions from their gross incompetence, ineptitude and their plots to share Nigeria’s assets like NLNG and NNPC.

However, we wish to state that the south-south CLO as well as the Rivers state branch are surprised over the use of the name of the organization for this kind of protest.

We think the protest is not necessary, more so, as Dame Patience Goodluck has already gone to court to recover her wealth arbitrarily hijacked by Buhari using EFCC as an attack dog.

CLO was not consulted nor its consent obtained before using the name of CLO for the protest. We hereby dissociated Civil Liberties Organisation, from the said protest.