‘’You lied again, Jomo Gbomo, MEND spokesperson tells Jonathan

It was a clear accusation of  telling the first citizen to shut up and talk no  more.

The Movement for the Eman­cipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has accused Presi­dent Goodluck Jonathan of lying over claims that the militant group attempted to assassinate him in October 2010.

President Jonathan had at the flag-off of his presidential campaign in Lagos alleged that the leader of MEND, Mr. Henry Okah, was paid to assassinate him.

Reacting to the statement, the group’s spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, described the allegation “as the most outrageous and ridiculous speech by any President”

MEND who restated its support for General Muhammadu Buhari said the group support for the retired General had nothing to do with Okah.

It challenged Jonathan, “to come out and reveal to the nation, the names of the ‘persons’ that he claimed paid Okah to assassinate him adding, “ Goodluck Jonathan should also explain why these ‘persons’, whom he obviously knew, were not arrested, tried and convicted”

Gbomo who recalled the events prior to the explosion explained that MEND issued a warning on the bombing, which was ignored by security agencies.

It expressed shock that Jonathan who defended MEND that it has no hand in the bombing would turn around to ac­cuse it of planning to assassinate him.

“This false allegation by President Jonathan, further confirms our earlier assertion of how he takes Nigerians to be stupid people, as he seemed to have forgotten that he openly came out to ab­solve MEND of any involvement in the attack.

“Rather than address his administra­tion’s failures, he chose to descend so low by using a very cheap barefaced lie to get sympathy. Is this the kind of presi­dent the country wants to be stuck with for another four years of misery?”

MEND, while expressing sadness that Jonathan is using the implementa­tion of the national conference report as bargaining tool for re-election urged the people to, “to use the power of their votes in securing this great country from the claws of Jonathan’s corrupt and in­ept government and the Peoples Demo­cratic Party (PDP).”

…Revelation not belated – Fani-Kayode

Director of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organization, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode has said that startling revelation by President Goodluck Jonathan that some Nigerians hired MEND leader, Henry Okah, who masterminded the October 1, 2010, to kill him was not late in coming.

The former Aviation Minister in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja noted that President Jonathan did not make the disclosure five years ago, in order not to create tension in the country.

Fani Kayode said: “I think it is better late than never; perhaps if it has been exposed at that time, the implications would have been not so good because it would have created more tension in the land.”

Reacting to the swipe taken at him by his counterpart in the APC Presiden­tial Campaign Organization, Malam Garba Shehu that he was attacking the person of Buhari rather than focusing on issues, Fani-Kayode said “ it was not in Shehu’s place to teach him how to do his job.”