Group fault El-Rufai attack on Jonathan

A  Niger Delta based socio-economic and political group, Movement for Justice (MFJ) yesterday faulted a former FCT Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, for his recent attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan and

the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mrs. Farida Waziri.

It asked el-Rufai to defend the corruption charges filed against him by the EFCC instead of deploying resources to sponsor campaigns of calumny against the President and the anti-graft agency prosecuting him. 

The group took a swipe at el-Rufai in a statement by its National Coordinator, Chief Daniel Otubu, released to the press in Abuja. 

The Niger Delta body said it has monitored closely the alleged “reckless abandon” with which el-Rufai has been using a newspaper to attack the administration of President Jonathan and virtually every visible agency of government in a desperate bid to discredit the present administration. 

The statement said: “We wish to draw the attention of the general public to the unbridled hatred and desperation with which el-Rufai is pursuing his clique’s agenda against President Jonathan and every institution working under his administration. 

“We have noticed in the past weeks that the former minister has, as a matter of agenda, continued to use a newspaper promoted by him and managed by his sister-in law to attack agencies of government ranging from NNPC to Ministry of Petroleum Resources and now the EFCC. 

 “We understand el-Rufai is bitter that President Jonathan has refused to interfere in the work of EFCC by asking the Commission to drop corruption charges against the former minister but this should not be enough reason for him to want to bring down the whole country through systemic and calculated campaigns of calumny against Mr. President and agencies of government. 

 “We are of the view that el-Rufai should face his trial in court where he has the chance of defending why as FCT minister he has to revoke lands allocated to PHCN and others for infrastructural development and allocate same to his wives, brothers and associates in flagrant violation of the Abuja master plan he pretentiously defended so much, rather than mobilizing cliques within and outside the country to destabilize government.” 

The group expressed its “unflinching support” for the administration of President Jonathan and the commitment of the EFCC to ridding the country of all forms of corruption. 

It also urged the general public to watch out and disregard series of publications that would be coming from the stable of a particular newspaper funded by el-Rufai to discredit President Jonathan, top government officials and notable agencies of government.