CLO Dismisses Anti-EFCC Protest In Rivers, Says It's Members Not Involved

The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) has debunked claims that its members took part in a protest march in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Friday, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigation of wife of former president, Dame Patience Jonathan for allegedly starching millions of dollars in several proxy bank accounts in Nigeria.
The denial was contained in a statement signed by the President, CLO, Uche Wisdom Durueke.
According to Durueke, “The attention of the leadership of the CIVIL LIBERTIES ORGANIZATION (CLO) has been drawn to a recent protest where certain individuals, in order to cause mischief, carried placards bearing CIVIL LIBERTIES ORGANIZATIONS. I hereby state that those individuals are not members of the CIVIL LIBERTIES ORGANIZATION.
“I hereby assure the bona-fide members of the organization and the public that CLO will not condescend so low to embark on such an infantile protest.
“The CLO hereby disassociates itself from the protest. However, the organization will take steps to unravel those behind the embarrassment and impersonation,” Durueke added.
Similarly, the CLO in the South-South zone also denied that its members were part of the protest.
A press release signed the Zonal Chairman, Karl Chinedu Uchegbu, and the Zonal Director, Steven Obodoekwe, reads:
“Our attention has been drawn to a protest march organised in Port Harcourt, Friday, September 23, against EFCC over the hunting of Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan by the EFCC. The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), was not only enlisted as part of the CSOs involved in the protest, but a protest banner bearing CLO was said to have been used for the said protest. On the protest banner is boldly written, ‘EFCC, Leave Mrs Patience Jonathan Alone’.”
The statement noted that, “It has always been the position of the South-South zone of the CLO that EFCC has been reduced to an attack dog and weapon of vengeance by the Federal Government headed by General Muhammadu Buhari. It has always been our position that EFCC has been too selective in carrying out its duties, and this selectivity has continued to impose a big question mark on the sincerity and genuineness of the EFCC in its so-called war on corruption.
“Concentrating on perceived enemies of the Federal Government and its party has given out the commission as a tool of witch-hunting. It has also been our position that EFCC should stop shielding corrupt elements in Buhari’s cabinet, and until this is done, we can never be deceived by the antics of the commission and those using it to hunt their enemies.
“It has also always been our position that fighting corruption or criminality with illegality is not only a bigger form of corruption, but an injustice. It is unacceptable. Ignoring court orders, confiscating peoples’ assets without due process, finding victims guilty through media trials, and so on, as always adopted by the EFCC, are condemnable.
“We condemn the ordeals of Dame Patience Jonathan, more so, as we consider it as part of the diversionary tactics of the Presidency to divert peoples’ attention from their gross incompetence, ineptitude and their plots to share Nigeria’s assets like NLNG and NNPC,” it stated.
The statement added that, “We wish to state that the South-South CLO as well as the Rivers State branch are surprised over the use of the name of the organisation for this kind of protest.
“We think the protest is not necessary, more so, as Dame Patience Goodluck Jonathan has already gone to court to recover her wealth arbitrarily hijacked by Buhari using EFCC as an attack dog. CLO was not consulted nor its consent obtained before using the name of CLO for the protest.
“We hereby dissociated Civil Liberties Organisation, from the said protest,” the group submitted.
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