Despite being members of the class of ’99 governors, President Bola Tinubu and former Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili never had any form of friendship till this moment, a presidency source informed TheScrutinyNG on Wednesday.
Both men were governors of Lagos and Rivers from 1999 to 2007.
While Odili was a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on whose platform he was elected, Tinubu was a leader of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD) and later Action Congress (AC).
In August 2010, The Action Congress changed its name to the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in its quest to assume a national outlook. ACN later merged with other parties in 2013 to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).
READ ALSO: Wike Hits Back At Odili, Says Elder Statesmen Should Speak With Caution
Shortly after leaving office, Odili secured the a controversial injunction from the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt in 2007, preventing the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating, arresting, or prosecuting him, as well as scrutinising the state’s finances during his tenure.
The EFCC has fought to overturn the injunction since 2008, but the legal blockade had shielded Odili from its investigations for nearly two decades.
On Monday, the Supreme Court cleared the EFCC to investigate alleged financial mismanagement during Odili’s tenure.
Some loyalists of Odili have however faulted President Tinubu for allegedly taking sides with former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and not protecting Odili “his classmate in the 1999 class of governors”.
Speaking with our correspondent, a media aide to the president who prefers to remain anonymous, said contrary to claims being made by Odili’s loyalists on social media, no relationship between Tinubu and Odili.
“First, the president has pledged to tackle corruption head-on and has always promise the EFCC its unalloyed support. He (Tinubu) will not micromanage the EFCC and dictate to it on who to investigate or not”.
” A former governor in the president’s party was running away from EFCC. He sent several prominent emissaries to the president but he didn’t budge. The governor is currently having his day in court. That is the president Nigerians voted for”.
“Also, let me correct the erroneous narratives being bandied about that the president didn’t stand up for one of his friends in the 1999 set of governors. No relationship ever existed between the duo”.
“Odili was an OBJ man to the core and he saw nothing wrong when OBJ seized Lagos State LG allocations for years until he left office in 2007 and the funds were released by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua, another distinguished member of the 1999 class of governors”.
