Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), has come under attack from the national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The APC in a statement described Sagay as arrogant and a rogue elephant who has no respect even for President Muhammadu Buhari.
The APC said the only reason Sagay occupies the position he has today was because the ruling party won the presidential election.
Sagay had described the APC as unprincipled and its leadership, a failure.
Full Text
“Our attention has been brought to an interview published on pages 46-47 of The Nation Newspaper of Sunday, September 24, 2017, granted by the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption (PACAC), Professor Itse Sagay (SAN).
“In the said interview, Sagay described the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as “the most unprincipled group of people” who are “encouraging and accepting rogues” in the party. He said: “When I say ‘rogues’, I don’t mean stealing. In literature, when you say someone is a rogue elephant, it means people who are running riot and destroying the party.” “The Webster dictionary defines ‘rogue elephant’ as “one whose behaviour resembles that of a rogue elephant in being aberrant or independent.”
Clearly if we have today, anyone in our government or, by extension, the party who feels accountable only to his own ego; who does not feel the need to bridle his tongue for the sake of anything that is higher than himself; who feels independent of everyone and every institution; that person is Professor Sagay. “Asked by the interviewer if he would stop speaking if the President asks him to stop speaking, he said: “Yes, he is my employer. If he tells me to stop talking, I’ll stop talking. But I have certain rights too that I can exercise in addition to that, because I’m not going to be in a position where I am impotent. So, I must obey him, but I can go beyond that and obey myself too. That’s it.” Framed in another way, what Sagay is saying here is that, no matter what is at stake, he would rather resign than obey the President if the President tries to restrain him.
This is the quintessential rogue elephant behaviour. “In his sheer arrogance, he forgets that it is impossible for him to call out the leadership of the party as “weak” and “unprincipled” without indicting the president, who is the leader of the party and has the fundamental responsibility to build the party. “If Sagay had any iota of respect for the man who dug him back from inevitable oblivion and puts him in a position in which he now feels superior to everyone, he would channel his opinions and advice to the President on how to make the party stronger and more principled. It appears however that Sagay does not have anything constructive to say about anything. He only knows how to tear down and assault everyone and everything. “We want to remind Sagay and all other appointees of our government that the only reason they occupy their current position today is because the APC won the election. There is, therefore, a matter of honour to show decorum and respect for the party and its leadership. You cannot love the fruit and hate the tree that produced it.”
PSquare in messy breaks up
Speculations were put to an end when a legal document issued on behalf of Peter Okoye by the group’s legal counsellor, Festus Keyamo, circulated online on Monday.
In a phone conversation with TheCable Lifestyle, a representative of Festus Keyamo chambers confirmed the details of the document- a termination letter- written by Peter on Thursday.
The representative further added that the firm was responsible for the initial agreement signed by Peter, Paul and Jude Okoye, the twins’ elder brother/manager, and would still be despite the breakup.
Peter defended his decision with a series of allegations against his twin brother, Paul and Jude, accusing the latter of threatening his life.
He also added that Paul cancelled the group’s North American tour without his approval.
In the document, the singer/dancer wrote: “What I am about to do has been a very difficult decision to make. I have decided to use this medium as a means to terminate the agreement between Psquare.
“I have tried and exhausted all my options to make this work. However it seems as if Paul is not willing to cooperate.
“For example, he cancelled our US tour without discussing it with me. Unbeknownst to me, he cancelled each show as we were being booked.
“He has also been accusing and threatening my wife and family of unimaginable lies via social media outlets.
“Me and my wife have been getting different threatening message. I fear for my life and the life of my family.
“I cannot continue with Psquare in conditions like this that will jeopardize my wellbeing. Remember, Jude has threatened to kill me and not shoot my wife in the presence of Paul and Ms. Imoke (former first lady of Cross River state) and had repeated several times in front of you and other individuals.
“Last year at your office he threatened to come with my coffin whenever he sees me around his house. He stood up and hit me in front of you and the other lawyers. I have documented video of when this moment occurred and I played it for you.
“One thing for sure, we are family first before Psquare. Last year, we tried to settle the family issues first, but we put that aside to appease the fans while issues were still present. We all agreed and signed that Psquare belongs to Peter, Paul and Jude.
“Due to the threats and for the sake of peace, I decided to sign it. We even agreed to shoot and post a video individually to apologise to our fans. I released my video; however Paul and Jude refused to release theirs.
“This has tarnished my character and made me a victim as the bad guy to the pulic. We all have agreed that as long as Psquare is in existence, we can operate as individuals as long as it doesn’t tamper with the group songs.
“I’ve decided to use this medium to pull out of the group and contract. I wish Jude and Paul the best in their careers. I love them and their families, but my family too is important and I cannot betray my wife and kids.
“My family comes first, there has been so many threats against me and my family and it’s in the best interest of myself and family to remove myself from the contract.”
The sibling rivalry between the twins and their respective families have been ongoing for several years- fueled with cryptic messages via their social media pages- and had dominated the media whenever there was an occurrence.
Peter had on Thursday unveiled his own YouTube channel in a post on Instagram while referring to himself as ‘Mr P’, the stage name he uses as a solo artiste.
@Thecablestyle
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