Obanikoro to Resist Extradition, Other PDP Chieftains Worried

A close associate of former minister of state for Defence, Mr Musiliu Obanikoro has stated that the former minister will explore every legal option to prevent his forceful return from the United States of America to face trial.

The associate, a former council boss in Lagos spoke to The Nation newspaper on the condition of anonymity and described the extradition plan as a mere persecution attempt by the All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that Obanikoro remains innocent of the allegations being bandied against him.

He said: “One thing we are happy about is that out there, there is a reliable legal system that can be exploited to ensure sanity. That is the solace we have and Koro will make adequate use of that opportunity. All you hear them say about him are mere slanderous attempts to get him at all cost. We will see how they will succeed,” the source said.

Meanwhile, a number of PDP chieftains are said to have been worried over the weekend and making frantic calls to friends and associates over reports suggesting extradition moves by the federal government.

President Muhmmadu Buhari and the minister of Justice/Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr Abubakar Malami are billed to attend a conference in the United Kingdom this month where discussions with 59 other countries will centre on extradition of individuals with pending corruption probes.

According to The Punch, those to be possibly affected by any extradition agreement reached may include a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu; and a former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Force, Abdulrasheed Maina.

Others are the ex-Petroleum Minister, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke; her son, Ugonna; and a former Comptroller-General of Customs, Abdullahi Dikko, whose house was raided in Abuja in January by the EFCC.

Also included are a former Senior Political Adviser to ex-President and Coordinator of Goodluck Support Group, Prof. Rufai Alkali, who coordinated the disbursement of N320m allegedly collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria during the 2015 elections, and the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, who is being allegedly investigated over $1.1bn Malabu Oil deal.

The Nation cites a well placed source at the PDP national secretariat, Abuja who said, “Although, nothing official has been said about the report, I can assure you that the leadership and chieftains of the PDP are aware of the development.

“On Friday, following the emergence of the report on the social media, several calls were made by prominent members and leaders of the party from all over the country to ask if the report is true and if the party was aware.

“Discussion of the matter dominated our activities here on Friday. Many wanted to know how the party plans to respond to the move. But like I said, nothing official has been said about it because the report broke late on Friday and we are yet to discuss it,” the source said.