Ribadu Acknowledged My Trial Was Political - Bode George

Former national deputy chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George has said that former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu once acknowledged that his trial and conviction were politically motivated.

To this end he insisted that his conviction by a Lagos High Court was political conspiracy to get him out of the politics of the Southwest and the country.

George who spoke after a thanksgiving church service to celebrate the Supreme Court judgment that set aside the lower courts’ guilty verdict over his alleged contracts splitting case, said all that transpired under his leadership as the chairman of the board of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, were guided by the long standing administrative circular which is still in use today by the authority.

According to him, the immediate past chairman of the anti graft body, Mrs. Farida Waziri, however, tried him in court, in spite of the fact that there was an advice against his arraignment in court by a legal officer of the commission.

His words: "Even Nuhu Ribadu in his heyday at the EFCC boldly stated that whatever problem was at the NPA was a systemic issue and not of fraud. He advised that those who had political issues with Bode George should go and sort it out with him."