ALAMIEYESEIGHA LINKS ORDEAL TO U.S INTEREST IN NIGERIA’S OIL

Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha

The former governor of Bayelsa state, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha yesterday attributed his conviction for money laundering and incarceration to the United States interest in Nigeria’s oil in the Gulf of Guinea and his opposition to the former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s failed third term bid.

Alamieyeseigha accused former President Obasanjo of conniving with the British and the U.S Government to ‘assassinate’ him, saying his arrest in London has nothing to do with money laundering but on an alleged terrorism.

The former governor who said he has forgiven all those responsible for his travail during a reception held in his honor, revealed that there was no truth in the report that he was arrested for money laundering.

The convicted former Governor disclosed that Chief James Ibori who recently escaped from Nigeria to evade prosecution for corruption charges was also penciled down by former President Obasanjo for ‘punishment’ for refusing to back the third term.

“With my plan not to support him, as a means of vengeance, he decided to punish me by using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.”  “Am not the only one. Governor James Ibori was also penciled down,” he claimed.

He disclosed that Obasanjo told him of his plan to stay for another term in office but his decision not to be part of that agenda led to his problem with the former President.

According to him, Obasanjo told me precisely on the 18th of August, 2005, that he was not prepared to leave office “but I told him that he would definitely leave come May 29, 2007,” and that he should not threaten me.

The ex-Governor said “Mallam Nuhu Ribadu was instructed to deal decisively with me for not supporting the third term bid.”

On his escape to Nigeria, the erstwhile governor said that there was no iota of truth in the report that he dressed like a woman, stating that the British government facilitated his return having been discouraged by the attitude of the former Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Mr. Bayo Ojo, (SAN) who appeared before a magistrate court in Britain pleading that he should not be granted bail.  

The Magistrate, according to Alamieyeseigha was pissed off by this action as he was surprised that a nation could stand against its own citizen.
 
Describing his experience as sacrifice he had to make for his stance, the erstwhile governor said with the support of the British government, he boarded a plane to Cote d'Voire where he later met a friend named Yahaya who arranged a plane for him to fly to Port Harcourt from where he moved to his country home, Amassoma in Southern Ijaw local government area of Bayelsa state.
 
He said shortly after his return, impeachment plans against him were hatched and executed after which he was flown to Abuja with the plan to move him to Britain for trials, but the government of that country would not allow that.
 
The governor who made it known that he has forgiven all the people that took part in his impeachment said that his relationship with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was also one of the reasons why Obasajo wanted him out at all cost.