Jonathan denies collecting N50m from Wike

Former Presi­dent Goodluck Jonathan has de­nied allegations by Sheriff that he received N50 million from Wike to organise the recent PDP peace meeting.

It will be recalled that Sheriff had alleged on Thurs­day that Wike and his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayodele Fayose, re­cruited Jonathan to scuttle Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson’s peace efforts with N50m

On Thursday last week, Jona­than organised a PDP stakehold­ers’ meeting as part of ongoing ef­forts to find a lasting solution to the crisis rocking the party.

Jonathan, through his spokesman, Mr. Ikechukwu Eze, said that there was no reason for anybody to accuse him of collect­ing money from anybody to or­ganise a stakeholders’ conference.

Eze said: “The former Presi­dent intervened in the crisis be­cause of his genuine commitment to bringing about peace in the party that made him President. I don’t think anybody will believe that he collected money from an­ybody to organise the meeting.”

“It is out of his genuine con­cern to bring peace in the party. He has been meeting with mem­bers of the party; he met with Sheriff severally, he also met with Ahmed Makarfi on many occa­sions. He met with the governors. I don’t see any reason for anybody to say that Jonathan collected money from anybody to organ­ise the stakeholders’ conference,” Eze said.

Also, Fayose has accused Sheriff of doing the bidding of his paymasters in the APC, add­ing that there was no reason for any sane person to continue to re­spond to the continuous adver­tisement of Sheriff’s political un­democratic actions.

Through his media aide, Mr. Lere Olayinka, the governor said: “If Ali Modu Sheriff has taken his desperation to serve his paymas­ters in the APC to the level of ac­cusing former President Good­luck Jonathan of being bribed to organise a peace meeting for the PDP, there is no reason for any sane mind to continue to respond to the continuous advertisement of … political insanity.”

While addressing newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, Sheriff, through his deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, alleged that Jonathan was lured into committing a seri­ous breach of protocol that led to the failure of the exercise which was the intended outcome.

He said: “It was a thing of joy for the party faithful as they re­joiced that indeed peace has re­turned to the party. But to the sur­prise of all, Governor Wike and Governor Fayose recruited for­mer President Goodluck Jona­than into a ‘fake’ peace effort pre­determined to scuttle Governor Dickson’s efforts.”

“The result is that Jonathan was lured into committing a se­rious breach of protocol that led to the failure of the exercise which was the intended outcome.”