Jonathan, Buhari And The Sudden ‘Freedom’ Of Diezani

Nigerians woke up on Tuesday, November 26 to the shocking news that the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dropped charges against the Minister For Petroleum Diezani Alison-Madueke.

The EFCC had in a 14-count charge accused Diezani, bank executives and NNPC officials of conspiring to conceal $153 million in Fidelity bank.

The anti-graft body had been after the Minister who is said to be hiding in a location in the United Kingdom, with many of her properties seized as court orders forfeiture of her properties.

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos ordered the final forfeiture of jewelries with about $40million to the government as the EFCC claimed that they were accumulated from unlawful proceeds.

In 2017, a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had ordered the temporary forfeiture of 56 houses situated in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja, linked to the former minister.

The anti-graft body claimed that Diezani paid $21,982,224 for the properties, adding that it believed that the funds were proceeds of crime. The former minister left the shores of Nigeria as soon as former President Goodluck Jonathan left the shores of the country in 2015.

In November 2015, photos of Diezani were released by Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation magazine, with many alleging she may be battling with cancer, but she has refuted such reports publicly. That was the last time she was ever seen in public.

Both Jonathan and Diezani have been enmeshed in the bribery scandal of the controversial OPL245 deal and barely a week to the governorship elections in Bayelsa state, the former president visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the state house.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate at the just concluded elections in Bayelsa state, Douye Diri, lost to the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) David Lyon, and many have accused Jonathan of working against the his party.

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There was no time before, during and after the elections that Jonathan was seen publicly identifying himself with the Bayelsa PDP. In fact, barely one week to the election, the APC campaign team led by David Lyon himself visited Jonathan’s mother at her Otuoke home to receive blessings.

After the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Lyon of the APC winner of the Bayelsa state gubernatorial elections, another set of photos surfaced online where Jonathan was pictured to have welcomed the APC team his Otuoke residence.

Many have continued to claim that the ex-president ‘traded’ his party in order to free himself from prosecution and barely one week later, reports say the EFCC has dropped charges against former petroleum minister Diezani.