The Enugu state government has denied allegations linking Governor Peter Mbah to the ongoing criminal case involving former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, insisting that the governor neither initiated nor influenced the prosecution.
In a statement issued Thursday by the governor’s special adviser on Media, Onyekwere Nwobodo, the government described social media claims by Igboayaka O. Igboayaka, said to be of the Ohanaeze Youth Council, as false, misleading and defamatory.
The government said attempts to associate Mbah with Nnaji’s legal troubles were aimed at diverting public attention from the criminal allegations facing the former minister.
The statement said the Federal Republic of Nigeria and not Governor Mbah is the complainant in the criminal case against Nnaji.
“It is categorically stated that Governor Mbah has filed no complaints against Nnaji anywhere, whether civil or criminal,” the statement reads.
The government argued that blaming a political opponent for an ongoing criminal prosecution would neither influence public opinion nor interfere with the work of law enforcement agencies.
It also criticised what it described as attempts to pressure the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to abandon its investigation because of the political status of the suspect, warning that such actions could undermine the rule of law.