Tinubu Media Support Group backs Yahaya Bello, carpets EFCC Chair

Tinubu Media Support Group backs Yahaya Bello, carpets EFCC Chair

Joel Oladele, Abuja

The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG), has expressed strong support for the former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello over his ongoing legal battle with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).

Speaking through its Chairman, Barrister Jesutega Onokpasa, at a Media Parley in Abuja on Tuesday, the group criticized the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, over his approach in Bello’s prosecution bordering on misappropriation of N80.2 billion. 

Onokpasa, while reacting to questions regarding his stance on the ongoing saga, which is being perceived by some people as placing party interest above national interest, he emphasized the principle of innocence until proven guilty in a court of law. 

He noted that Yahaya Bello had submitted himself to the authority of the law by appearing before the court, and it was essential to allow the judicial process to proceed without undue interference.

The TMSG chair therefore commended Bello for not succumbing to alleged attempts to manipulate legal proceedings, emphasizing that any accusations should be addressed through the appropriate legal channels. 

“There is no question of prioritizing party interest above personal interest. A person is only guilty after he/she has been convicted by the Court of Law. When a person is in court, where he has briefed learned counsels to represent him in court, the person is before the court, he has submitted himself to the authority of the law. 

“That’s what Yahaya Bello has done. Yahaya Bello is before the court, it is even Yahaya Bello that is obeying the rule of law. That is how law works, I don’t defend you in front of you and not behind you, I’m very very proud of my brother, Yahaya Bello and I will defend him, I don’t care who likes that or who doesn’t like that. 

“Now, whatever Yahaya Bello knows that he refused to agree to be smuggled through the back door, I don’t know. Because if you call somebody, a whole former governor, the man has a mandate for God sake, he was voted twice into office, then you said come, let me smuggle you through the back door, then suppose something happens to him behind the door, then you will say Yahaya Bello was trying to break into EFCC to steal the air conditioner? I mean, whatever he knows these people are planning, he knows,” Onokpasa said.

He criticized what he described as attempts to tarnish Yahaya Bello’s reputation without due process, stating that such actions undermined the credibility of the accusers.

“You file a case in court, the case is already before the court and then you call a press conference to tarnish the reputation of the accused person, no, we don’t do that. That is malpractices, and by so doing, you lose your authority to even prosecute the individual, so if Yahaya Bello stole money from Kogi , he must return the money but he will return it according to law, we’ll follow the judicial process, it will not be his enemies hanging him,” he noted.

He also indirectly accused the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, of using the  instrumentality of office to witch-hunt Bello, describing it as an undemocratic approach.

His words: “As if we don’t know what is going on. I mean, you are a member of our party, you sponsored somebody who decamped from our party against our own candidate Usman Ododo, well, we still defeated the person, we defeated you. Then out of anger, you are using the instrumentality of office to torment our party members.

“What were they even thinking, that they will just combine to butcher Yahaya Bello and nobody will ask a question? nonsense! We are in a democracy, God will bring people to protect him to defend him. We are not cowards in this country.”

While commending President Bola Tinubu for not sparing members of the ruling party in his fight against corruption, he however expressed concern on how some APC members are using the Anti-graft agency to execute their ‘pull him down’ syndrome against their fellow party men.

“That’s a plus to our party and Bola Tinubu, our president, that we don’t cover crooks in our party, we don’t. Because Bola Tinubu is  the chief anti-corruption human being you can imagine, so that’s a plus. That’s why when Atiku starts insulting his president, because Tinubu is all our president, he forgets that we know his background, his corruption background. 

“I’m saying it on camera , corruption background, he was indicted, he’s known in America. All the things they said about our president, we defeated them in court. So it is even a plus to our party.

“We should be asking Olukoyede what he’s doing then, that he calls a press conference and he starts talking to people as if he’s talking to his parishioners, just talking sarcastically, does he not know the corrupt people in this country? That Yahaya Bello stole N80 billion from where? From Kogi? Where is N80 billion in Kogi? It’s ridiculous, they were trying to take him down, that’s just what’s happening, come through the back door, come to my office.

“We are lawyers for God sake, so if it is that , you see it is a plus to our Asiwaju but the fact that the anti-corruption fight is screwed, it’s clearly screwed. it’s not fair, it’s not balanced. That is the question we should be asking the EFCC, that’s the question we should be asking our brother, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

“What sort of anti-corruption fight is that? Why is it only our party members that are being handed, that’s the question we should be asking, Asiwaju supporters, what is really going on?  Well, we know what is going on and what is going on will fail.” Onokpasa boldly stated.