I'M NOT SUPPORTING JONATHAN FOR MONEY – DABO

By NBF News

Chairman, Board of Trustees of Move Nigeria Limited, Dr. Godwin Dabo' Adzuana, has said that his support for President Goodluck Jonathan's presidential ambition for 2010 general election is not motivated by monetary considerations.

Dabo was reacting to the allegation levelled against him during a telephone conversation with former Senate President, Senator Iyorchia Ayu that he shifted his support from Ibrahim Babangida to Jonathan because of monetary gains.

According to Dabo, when he called Ayu, he mistook him for Jonathan, adding that he identified himself and the former Senate President expressed anger that he dumped Babangida for the president.

In a letter to Ayu, Dabo quoted the former Senate president as saying: 'When the telephone rang, I thought it was Jonathan calling me.  But I now know it's you.  Sir, I am really angry with you for leaving your best friend in the world, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and myself to support Jonathan.  Why should you allow money to make you leave us?  At your age, you should not allow money to make you do what you are doing.  Jonathan is not the answer to our problems.  I am sorry for you that you can do this because of money.  He is going to fail and you will be disappointed.  Watch and see.'

Dabo said that it was at this point that he had to make his position clearer to Ayu. He said: 'Iyorchia, please, I want to inform you that my support for President Jonathan is not influenced by money.  Jonathan has not stolen public funds, so he does not distribute money to his supporters, like other aspirants do.  Please, know that my support for President Jonathan is informed by my conviction that he is the best candidate and is not and will not be corrupt if elected president of Nigeria.   Please, this talk about me supporting President Jonathan because of money is malicious and false.  Stop it. I am very angry at this lie.'

Dabo remarked that the allegation by Ayu upset him, explaining that he took the pains to tell the former Senate president why Babangida should not enter the 2011 presidential elections on the platform of PDP.