Former President Goodluck Jonathan has described the statement credited to respected legal luminary, Prof Itse Sagay that tends to vilify him on the ongoing arms scam as not only unfortunate but also unprofessional.
Prof Sagay, was reported on December 23, 2015, to have advised Jonathan to open up on his involvement in the $2.1 billion arms deal before he is arrested.
But, reacting through the immediate past Minister for National Planning, Dr. Suleiman Olanrewaju, the former President posited that Prof Sagay should have known better that “you don’t hang a suspect on the pages of newspaper or via social media until he or she is found guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.”
Dr. Olanrewaju said further that “Even where the learned jurist feels passionate of such a sensitive but sensational issue, he should know the right route to the villa rather than taking such prejudicial position.”
He therefore, advised Sagay and other legal luminaries to “confine themselves to the noble enclave of their profession than toeing the path of some mischief politicians whose main occupation perceives every matter from the point of sheer politics and propaganda.
“Nigeria await the report of Sagay committee on how best to fight corruption in our polity and we pray that when the report of his committee finally comes out, it will reflect and incorporate the noble principles of rule of law, fair hearing and impartiality so as to meet the irreducible minimum standard expected in matters of this nature.
“We also pray that it may not end up dashing, rather than raising the hopes of average Nigerian in the vintage APC fashion, as with most things these days.
