Ogbeh denies witnessing Labour leader's arrest
From Mohammed Abubakar, Abuja
FAR from the position of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the National Chairman of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Audu Ogbeh, was not present when Mr. Adams Oshiomhole was arrested in Abuja on Saturday.
This clarification came from Ogbeh's Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Thompson Abu.
Abu noted that the allegation that Ogbeh was present at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, when Oshiomhole was arrested was meant to tarnish the name of Ogbeh.
Abu's statement came just as the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) condemned the arrest of Oshiomhole, saying it was further slip to anarchy.
NLC's Acting National Secretary, Mr. Salihu Usman, had on Saturday in a statement claimed that Oshiomhole was arrested in full view of Ogbeh and the PDP National Secretary, Mr. Vincent Ogbulafor, who made no attempt to intervene.
But Abu said: "Chief Ogbeh was not anywhere near the airport at the time of the said arrest. By the time the national chairman arrived at the airport for his trip to Delta State, the incident had already taken place.
"He was, however, briefed by some members of the National Working Committee who were at the airport at the time of the incident.
"Chief Ogbeh was neither present, nor did he have any fore-knowledge of the arrest, how then could he have been expected to intervene?
"While not denying the NLC its right of dissent within the bounds of the law, we hasten to say that dragging people's names in the mud in order to draw attention to their points of view is hardly the honourable thing to do".
The TMG in a statement by its National Co-ordinator, Mrs. Angela Odah, accused the administration of consistently disregarding the welfare of the people.
The arrest of Oshiomhole, it said, was a further violation of democratic practice.
According to the group, no government under the constitution has the power to enact policies and programmes, which are antithetical to the interest of the people.
"The Obasanjo government has persistently failed to be responsive to the needs and realities of the majority of the Nigerian people and thus failed to provide leadership.
"The current silent take-over of the Nigerian economic sector by western multinationals in the name of privatisation and de-regulation is synonymous with the re-colonisation of the Nigerian nation by them, which will further pauperise and impoverish the common people of Nigeria," it said.`
