Mr. Emeka C. Kalu, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and Director-General, Atikulated Agenda Worlwide, has commended the judiciary for the bail granted to Mr. Abdullahi Babalele, son-inlaw to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and the party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 election.
Kalu, who spoke through a statement issued by Amos Kalu, his Media and Publicity aide, on Monday, stressed that the detention of Babalele, Finance Director of Atiku’s Group of Companies, had been generating a lot of controversies in the polity.
He maintained that a lot of people, especially in the opposition, believe that Babalele’s arrest and detention was aimed at intimidating and frustrating Atiku, who had been at the tribunal with President Muhammad Buhari over the presidential election.
Kalu, also the Director General, Global Initiative for Good Governance (GIGG), in his statement, extolled the court for finally granting bail to Babalele, who he said, was arrested by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes based on “Order from above” in a Gestapo style.
The PDP chieftain, however, frowned at the bail amount of N20 million given to Babalele, wondering what offence he could have committed to warrant such condition.
Kalu stressed: “I see this as extortion and further attempt to demoralise Atiku through the machinery of the state, whereas the court is supposed to be the last hope of the oppressed and common man.
“N20 million for a single bail is outrageous and wicked, to say the least. But, we are thankful that they were considerate enough to know that he deserves his freedom,
“But, they should also remember if the fight for corruption continues to sail in this direction, it will become a systemic style of robbing one man (presumed enemy) to enrich another (the ones with integrity to steal), and it does not spell good for the independence and integrity of our esteemed Judiciary.”
Kalu insisted that the judiciary should sit up and be independent instead of being controlled by the executive, stressing that that was the only way Nigeria would not slide into total anarchy.
He maintained that the court should stop what he termed “this extortion being practised against opposition as well as the unending intimidation and blackmail of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar through trumped up charges and illegal arrests.
“We are still waiting for the arraignment of Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu whose undisclosed amount was brandished in a Bullion Van all in support of Buhari. Does it mean that some people are immune to the law while others are vulnerable?
“This intimidation should stop. We are still waiting for the court on the tribunal outcome because to me, this is their last opportunity to redeem their already battered image in the eyes of the public and the international community. Atiku is imminently coming.”