- Says Omo-Agege Innocent, Target of pull-him-down Campaign
In a dramatic twist on Saturday, one of the group of civil society organizations that recently accused the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of perjury and felony while practising law in the United States, has withdrawn its petition and recanted its earlier statement.
The group which withdrew its petition and distanced itself from the Coalition of Civil Society and Youth Groups in Nigeria (CCSYGN) which had threatened to occupy the National Assembly in protest against the Deputy Senate President said on Saturday that the allegations are false and he cannot in good conscience allow his “name to be used for the conscienceless onslaught against the innocent DSP.”
The group’s leader, Edwin Olorunfemi, in a statement sent to journalists on Saturday, January 18, further stated that he has extricated himself from the coalition’s stance, adding that the allegation is not only false but the handiwork of some desperate politicians who are want to destabilize the current leadership of the All Progressives Congress(APC) in Delta State in particular and the Niger Delta region in general.
Olorunfemi who apologized for being part of the coalition described the outburst of the coalition as a ‘pull–him-down’ campaign mounted on behalf of some faceless politicians.
Part of the statement made available to The New Diplomat read in part: “I have also seen incontrovertible evidence of his acquittal of the alleged crimes by the California Superior Court, cannot in good conscience allow my name to be used for the conscienceless onslaught against the innocent DSP.
“Nonetheless, envy, hate and the politics of controlling things in Delta state and the Niger Delta has motivated some so-called VIPs who are desperate to hijack and destabilize the current progressive leadership of the National Assembly to call for a hatchet job against DSP Senator Omo-Agege but I hereby table my sincere apologies as I withdraw.
“We stand before you today to unequivocally announce that I have seen the light and abreast with the truth in respect of the dark motivations behind this fallacious campaign against DSP Omo-Agege and that I have unambiguously withdrawn from the ungodly campaign that we were misled into joining.
“In the interest of Nigeria, let us all desist from the propaganda that remains the hands of Esau and the voice of Jacob; government also has further role to play in curbing the unemployment and under-employment that makes scores of youth vulnerable to being tempted by elites who use idle youth and civil society groups to score propaganda points against perceived rivals.
“I sincerely apologize to DSP Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and I thank you all for your kind understanding.”
Recall that Omo-Agege had since denied the allegations, describing the groups as a band of sponsored individuals bent on smearing his reputation In a statement earlier released by his media adviser, Yomi Odunuga, Omo-Agege accused the group of attempting to mislead gullible people with lies and propaganda.
“The fact is, at a point in his brilliant and bright legal career in California, USA, Senator Omo-Agege, then a young attorney, was alleged to have broken the law in California but in the end, he was found not guilty,” Odunuga said.
