by Azeez Adeniyi

The Niger Delta Advancement Front has said it would resist moves by the House of Representatives to summon former President Goodluck Jonathan over the controversial Malabu oil deal.

National President of the group, Dr. Ikiomasi Wakama said members of the Niger Delta will not allow Jonathan appear before the lower chamber.

The group described the invitation to Jonathan as a witch-hunt.

He said, “As much as we believe in the unity of Nigeria, we must not also be the only ones to be paying the price because we can assure the National Assembly that we will resist every attempt to make Goodluck Jonathan appear before it.

[Read Also: MALABU OIL DEAL: COMPEL JONATHAN’S APPEARANCE IF NECESSARY, MEND TELLS REPS]

“We condemn in all fullness the continued vilification of Goodluck Jonathan and the various attempts at undermining a good man who did his best for the country in service and strengthening our democracy and unity as a nation.”

The NAF said a court had given control of OPL 245 to the Federal Government in January.

It added that on March 17, an Abuja Federal High Court reversed its seizure of the oil block.

The group said an investigation by an independent US law firm had exonerated Jonathan of any wrongdoing.

NAF said, “The law firm, however, confirmed the conclusion reached by previous investigations in 2015, stating that there was no evidence of corrupt conduct in relation to the transaction, thereby exonerating former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“So the question is ‘who is after Goodluck Jonathan?’ Against this background, we therefore see a calculated grand plan of deliberate mischief from the House of Representatives to continue to malign Jonathan and his government on a matter that competent courts and international investigators have carefully studied and given a clean bill of health.”

Azeez