One of the defence witnesses in the trial of Olisa Metuh, the former Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Richard Ihediwa has revealed how the accused made cash payments to some Federal Government-owned media organisations.
At Thursday’s proceedings, Ihediwa told Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, that the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and other media houses benefitted from the N400 million which Metuh is standing trial for.
He told the court that other media outfits which were paid huge sums of money to launder the image of former President Goodluck Jonathan included Daily Trust, Champion and Newswatch Newspapers.
Ihediwa who gave details of the transactions during cross-examination by counsel to Destra Investment Limited, Mr Torchukwu Onwugbufor (SAN), alleged that Metuh paid cash to one Segun Olatunji Jacobs of the Tribune Newspaper but added that he could not remember the other print media houses that were also paid in cash.
He said that the media campaign to launder Jonathan’s image became necessary because of the agitation from the North, the South-South, the South West and the South East.
“The issues of resource control, infrastructural development and the implementation of the recommendation from the National Conference were major threats in the South-South.
“In the North, there was the issue of insecurity. The agitation led to a lot of demand and pressure on the former president and he felt the best way to handle the agitation was through media publicity and public enlightenment instead of the use of the gun or force,” Ihediwa said.