Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole yesterday denied reports of accusing
President Goodluck Jonathan of multiple voting during the 2007 general elections.
NEXT carried a report yesterday based on a US dispatch leaked by whistleblower site, wikileaks. The dispatch quoted US officials as saying Mr Oshiomhole said the vice president voted four times during the 2007 elections. But the state governor, in a press statement signed by his spokesperson, Tony Iyare said the vice president referred to by his boss was a former military vice president, Augustus Aikhomu.
The presidency also reacted to the story yesterday by accusing NEXT of ‘deliberately waging a malicious campaign of falsehood and calumny aimed at impugning the integrity of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.' The Edo statement said, in parts: "Our attention has been drawn to a story of the NEXT on Sunday ... that the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole told some US diplomats in December 2008 that President Goodluck Jonathan voted four times as Vice President in the April 2007 election.
"It is obvious that there was a clear mix-up in the story as the person in reference is the former military Vice President, Augustus Aikhomu, whose name was tendered in court for voting four times during the epic case to regain the mandate popularly given to Mr. Oshiomhole by the Edo people and not President Goodluck Jonathan. "In addition, what was tendered in court was the electoral register bearing the names of voters in Edo State which had nothing to do with Mr. Jonathan who voted in Bayelsa.
"Why we still ponder over the import of the strange linkage to the President, we are particularly moved not to suspect that NEXT is opening its flanks to the whims of mischief makers or some unscrupulous elements who deliberately wish to drive a wedge between Messrs Jonathan and Oshiomhole...
"We wish to place on record that there was no where either in the tendered court documents or the brief with the US diplomats where President Jonathan's name featured for voting four times. We want to plead that the media should endeavour to verify its facts painstakingly before going to press in order to avoid causing unnecessary disaffection." However, it is unclear why the wikileaks cables quoted by NEXT would be referring to Aikhomu as vice president in 2007.
Call for redress
The spokesperson to the president, Ima Niboro on his part alleged that NEXT was waging a campaign against Mr Jonathan. "In his largeness of heart and magnanimity, President Jonathan ignored all previous attacks on his person and family by NEXT but the newspaper has gone too far this time," Mr Niboro said.
"The Presidency therefore demands a full retraction of the offensive allegation of electoral malpractice against President Jonathan and an unreserved apology to the President published by the newspaper with the same prominence as today's false report. "If this is not done in short order, we will pursue every legal means available to seek redress for the president and the presidency."
comment: funny to notice that so many denials are coming from Edo State these days .
Oba gator kpe eh ! Ise
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